Everyone knows the saying, “Behind every great man, is a great woman.” Wives of Civil Rights leaders, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Min. Malcolm X are no different.
Lifetime’s Betty & Coretta, starring Angela Bassett and Mary J. Blige, brought that to life. King and Shabazz made history as the wives behind two powerful men that fought for equality aimed at the Black community but it is their friendship that made a legacy. Lifetime Television Network decided to bring America in closer into the dynamic friendship, the two women created in the midst of both their loses.
Aired Saturday, Feb. 2, the movie focused on an unknown friendship, and exposed a lot of secrets kept between Betty and Coretta. Ruby Dee famously known for many of her movies, narrated the movie, giving it a sense of authenticity, due the fact that the 90-year-old and her late husband Ossie Davis had a close relationship with both families.
The movie showed the well known difference between both men, but allowed viewers into a decade long friendship their wives had. Lifetime held nothing back, especially when the late Rev. King’s infidelity was brought up. The movie even reenacted the 1994 interview between Shabazz and Gabe Pressma, when she stated on television, that Louis Farrakhan, was involved in her husband’s assignation.
When asked did she believe that Farrakhan had anything to do with the murder Betty replied, “Of course yes, nobody kept it a secret, it was a badge of honor.” The movie not only showed the difficult life that two mothers faced but it showed the love that was birthed in misery.
Coretta Scott King remained friends with Betty until her death in 1997. The movie showed the impossibilities that both women made possible, with friendship, love and hope for a better future.