Betty and Coretta (2013) Movie Script
1
And earthquake and a hurricane
may have delayed this day.
But this is a day that
would not be denied.
For this day, we celebrate Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr's return
to the National Mall.
I never thought
I'd live to see this day.
A monument to Martin
Luther King dedicated
by our first African-American
President on the National Mall.
It was a long struggle.
But America, all
of us, together, we
got there because of Martin
and so many others like him.
I remember dear brother Malcolm,
how the corners of his mouth
turned up when his smile
and his devilish laugh.
You know?
And then there were their wives.
They carried on
in their struggle
even after their
men were... were...
Were... were gunned
down in cold blood.
I mean, they were a sisterhood,
born of sorrow, yes.
But it became a
sisterhood of greatness.
It's Betty and Coretta
I remember the most.
When Martin was jailed during
the fight for voting rights,
Coretta rushed down to Selma,
Alabama to be by his side.
It was there that
she met Malcolm
for the first and only time.
Then we'll take it off.
Yeah.
I'd like to think the
folks in this part of the world
would do well to listen
to Dr. Martin Luther King,
and give him what he is asking
for, before some other faction
comes along and takes
it some other way.
What he wants is the balance.
And it is a right.
And it will be gotten
one way or the other.
Now I believe in nonviolence if
a person is nonviolent with me.
But if my enemy does not
believe in nonviolence,
then practicing nonviolence
then, in my opinion,
is a waste of time.
If the sick that dog
on you, you shoot it.
Understand me?
Mrs. King.
Malik.
I know you by the name Malcolm.
Well, you didn't
know I changed it then.
I guess they called you
down here to the church
when they heard I
was coming, huh?
You know it's irresponsible
to talk the way you do.
We got enough problems down
here without you showing up
and bringing us more.
I didn't come here
to make trouble.
I'm here to support Dr. King.
You should thank me.
And so should he.
If his enemies wind have
given him what he wants,
it's only because I
scared the pants off them.
And if we wind up fighting
amongst ourselves over strategy
and lose sight of the bigger
picture, who do we thank then?
I agree.
We need to be self empowered.
We need a strong sense of pride
in ourselves and our history.
That's why I'm asking Dr.
King to link up his struggle
with that about black and brown
brothers and sisters in Africa
and the rest of the world.
Well, shouldn't we deal with
our own fires in this country
before we go putting out others?
You're missing the point.
Oh, am I?
We get those countries to
censor ours in the United
Nations and you'll see some
real change down here real fast.
We push for that, we
risk bringing down Johnson.
And no other President
has done more for us.
If he's that great, why is
your husband in jail right now?
My husband has faith,
as do I, that right
will triumph in men's hearts.
Well, someone has faith.
That's for sure.
I'm glad I met you, Mrs. King.
I can see where Dr.
King gets his strength.
Minister.
I was rude of earlier.
Thank you for coming.
How are you holding on?
I hate it here.
Oh, I know.
Never gets any easier, does it?
How are the children?
Worried.
They wanted to come down.
Edith's with them.
You should see the
support you're getting.
All the news stations
are down here.
Backers are in town.
Even Malcolm X came.
To glorify himself, no doubt.
That man gives the
struggle a bad name.
I don't know.
He's seemed different in person.
Even changed his name.
He refuses to disavow violence.
We need the White man to make
any progress in this country.
And threatening him with
violence is not the answer.
I think he's softening.
In his heart, he
wants what we want.
I think it's possible that he
could come around given time.
I sure hope you're
right, for all of our sake.
Go to sleep, sweetie.
Close your eyes.
Go to sleep.
What you doing up still?
Time to get you to bed.
Go on now.
Tom, won't you head home?
Malcolm told me to
stay and watch you all.
Nothing's going
to happen tonight.
Now go on.
Sister Antoinette's
going want you home.
I'll see you in the morning.
Two such beautiful girls.
Now get straight to sleep, OK?
Stay in bed.
Oh, Malcolm.
You scared me.
I parked a couple of
blocks away just to be safe.
Daddy.
Daddy.
Attallah.
Daddy.
Qubilah, come over here.
Daddy.
No time to be sleeping.
Daddy's home.
I missed you both.
You miss me?
Yes.
I just put them to bed and
you riling them all up again.
Oh, come on.
Who wants some ice cream?
- I do.
- I do.
Yeah, let's go.
I got something for you girls.
Wow.
What is it?
It's Big Ben.
It's a giant clock in England.
It's for your sisters too.
And this here is
England's national anthem.
That's where I got
this, London, England.
It's where I got to
see the real Big Ben.
Did you visit the
queen in her castle?
No.
Daddy didn't get the meat
this time, he was too busy.
But one day.
Now, go to bed.
I love you.
You know they wouldn't
let me into Paris.
Made me turn back to London.
I'm sure the FBI had their
fingers all over that.
Stay home.
Stop all this traveling.
The girls need you here.
I need you.
I can't.
If I'm going to introduce
that new resolution at the UN
sanctioning this country, I
need to find other nations
willing to stand up
against dollarism.
It's not easy.
Once they drop those dollars
on you, your soul goes.
I don't care about any of that.
We got one month in his house
before the courts take it
from us.
And then what?
This is all the girls
have ever known.
Where we going to go?
We got no money.
We got nothing.
Elijah Muhammad gave us this
house and I plan to keep it.
He didn't give us this house.
It's his house.
He only let us live here
because you were preaching
for the nation.
And when he kicked you out,
he kicked you out of his house
too.
What you expect?
You put the man down in
public every chance you get.
I'll stop putting
him down when he apologizes
to the young mothers of all
those children he had out
of wedlock.
He should get down on his
knees and beg forgiveness
for seducing them.
Malcolm, his men are
calling him every day
threatening to kill you.
Anything happens to me, my new
organization of Muslim brothers
will take care of
you and our family.
Your new organization
of Muslim brothers
can barely afford to
keep their offices open.
I'm supposed to rely on them?
Malcolm, I need a job.
No.
The woman's place is in
the home with the kids.
Well, we need somewhere
safe to raise our kids.
You'll get it soon enough.
After I'm gone.
- Don't talk like that.
- Well, why not?
I'm practically a dead man.
I don't want to hear it.
I don't want to hear it.
You know what it's true.
They're going to kill me, Betty.
Hell, I'd kill me too
after some of the things
I said about Elijah
and the nation.
What are we supposed
to do without you?
We've already been through this.
There's a destiny for all of us.
Nothing can keep us from it.
Anyway, as long as I'm here,
I'm going to enjoy my ice cream.
My sweet brown sugar, I
wish I had more to give you.
So what do you think?
A boy?
Fifth time's a charm?
I don't know.
But if it is, he's
waiting to see his daddy.
And you better be there for him.
What you trying to do?
Make more babies.
As many as possible.
Before going to London, I
traveled down to see Dr. King.
They wouldn't let
me in the prison,
but I did get to see Mrs. King.
Really?
Yeah, she's a strong sister.
Not as strong as you though.
I went to Tuskegee too.
Your old alma mater
invited me to speak.
I got scared of him.
I bet you did.
Oh, Tuskegee.
I remember back in Detroit
when my mama put me on a train
and go down there.
I was just 17 and on my way
to college for the first time.
And I was so sheltered
up until then.
We were on a station platform.
And there she was, this woman
who loved me all my life
struggling to tell me what
I find when I got there.
Honest White folks
showing their true racism.
Yeah.
Yeah, it was the first time
I ever seen her at a loss
for words.
I didn't understand
until I got there.
You know, I couldn't believe
the people I didn't even
know could hate me so much.
Mm-hmm.
I didn't know how to
react until I met you.
I'm sorry for everything.
Go.
Go.
Go.
Hit 'em now.
Mommy.
Daddy.
Mommy.
What is it?
Get up.
Get up!
Get the babies.
Come on.
Come on.
Come on.
Come on.
Stay with me.
Go with your mom.
Go with your mom.
Come on.
Come here.
Come here.
Come here.
Hey, girls.
Oh.
Come on, I got to talk to you.
I've arranged for
Tom to take you
and the kids back to stay with
him and sister Antoinette.
What?
What about you?
I've got to go to the airport.
I've got a speech in Detroit.
Today?
I'm not going to be scared away.
Malcolm, the kids need you.
They are terrified.
They don't know
what's happening.
It's too dangerous here.
It's worse for them if
I stay here with you.
Things are going to change soon.
We'll get a new
house, someplace safe.
Just think about the future.
That's where our hope lies.
With what they
could salvage from the fire,
Betty and the kids moved in with
Tom and his wife Antoinette.
We called her Tony.
A week went by.
They were getting threatening
calls day and night.
And still, they always
answered the phone
hoping it would be
Malcolm on the line.
- Hello?
- Hey, Tony.
It's Malcolm.
Can I speak to Betty, please?
Just a minute.
Malcolm.
Hey, how are you doing?
How are the girls?
Missing you.
Me too.
Some good news.
I spoke to my sister Ella
about helping with the house.
She said that she'd
paid the down payment
and put it in her name
since no one to sell to me.
Oh, that's great, honey.
Whatever it takes.
Whatever it takes.
I just want us to
be together again.
What is it?
What is it?
Some coward called this morning
and said, wake up, brother.
Sounded like a White man trying
to put fear into my heart
and into the hearts of
everyone who follows me.
I can't let them do that.
I have to leave now to
preach up in Harlem.
Would it bother you
to bring the girls?
Of course not.
I love you, Betty.
I... I love you too.
He wants us to come
to the Autobahn.
Oh, sister Betty,
that's wonderful.
Tom.
I heard.
I'll drive you there.
We better get a move
on or you'll be late.
Oh, thank you so much.
You go on.
I'll take care of the baby.
Thank you, sister Antoinette.
Thank you.
I come to these
things all the time.
All the time.
Assalamu alaikum,
brothers and sisters.
Get your hand of my pocket.
Hold it.
Hold it.
Don't get excited.
Let's stay cool, brothers.
Everything is going
to be all right.
I was afraid something like this
would happen.
Nothing good can ever come
from preaching violence.
That is such a loss.
They say his wife's pregnant.
Oh, the poor woman.
Martin, we have to
reach out to her.
I've already made a
statement to the press.
Something more personal.
Hate leads to
more and more hate.
Those are Malcolm
supporters burning down
the nation's mosque.
Today in Harlem.
The burning of a
Nation a Islam mosques.
Serves them right for
what the Nation done to him.
Dark and twisted Malcolm X,
who used his extraordinary
genius for evil intent.
Nation of Islam spokesperson
Louis Farrakhan was...
Their religion wasn't nothing
but four senior citizens
and a beat up,
old station wagon.
Now look at all of them.
Malcolm didn't know
what he was playing with.
No, he didn't.
He didn't know what
he was playing with.
You just don't jump up against
a divine messenger of God
like he did.
He has to die.
And God obliged to it.
Talk like that's what
brother Malcolm killed.
Minister Farrakhan's trying
to take his own position
in the Nation.
He got them all riled up and
now look what's happened.
I can't stand to see it.
I just want to keep all
this away from my kids.
They'll be able to see
how much their daddy meant
to people at the funeral.
They're not going.
What?
They're not going.
I couldn't protect them from
seeing their father killed.
I couldn't protect them from
seeing their house burned down.
I'm going to protect them now.
Sister Betty.
Keeping them safe,
that's what's important.
That's more important
than anything.
Here at this final
hour in this quiet place,
Harlem has come to bid farewell
to one of its brightest hopes.
Extinguished now and
gone from us forever.
Malcolm was our manhood,
our living Black manhood.
And in honoring him, we
honor the best in ourselves.
However, we may have...
Just look at her, Tom.
She's got no money, no
home and she's pregnant.
What's going to happen to her?
Sister Betty, I
brought you some tea.
Oh, thank you, sister.
The telegram came.
It's from Martin Luther King Jr.
Read it.
I was certainly saddened
by the shocking and tragic
assassination of your husband.
While we did not always
see eye to eye on methods
to solve the race
problem, I always
had a deep affection
for Malcolm.
He was an eloquent spokesman
for his point of view.
And no one can honestly
doubt that Malcolm
had a great concern
for the problems
that we face as a race.
While I know that this is
a difficult hour for you...
I am sure that God will give
you the strength to endure.
I will certainly be
remembering you in my prayers.
And please know that
you have my deepest sympathy.
Always considered me a friend.
And if I can do anything to
ease the heavy load that you
are forced to carry
at this time...
Please feel free to call on me.
Martin Luther King Jr.
He should have values him
when he meant something.
After Malcolm died
it felt like the whole nation
was in a fever.
Students protested
the war in Vietnam.
Watts burned, then Detroit.
The Black Panthers
preached revolution
using Malcolm's early speeches
to justify their actions.
And Betty, well, she...
She... she had her hands full
just raising six girls.
That's right.
The boy she and
Malcolm never came.
Instead, they got twin girls.
We all helped her.
And with the royalties from
Malcolm's autobiography,
we were able to raise enough to
please a down payment on a home
in Mount Vernon.
A nice home away
from the city where
Barry could give her
children a sheltered life
she had dreamed of.
Hello?
In here.
Trying to make some
clothes for the kids.
Then I came just in time.
Oh, they've gotten so big.
What's all this?
I took up a collection.
Oh, bless you,
sister Antoinette.
Look at you.
Oh, look at you.
You look good.
Girl, please.
I'm run ragged.
I got diapers and
daycare up to here.
I feel like the old
woman in the shoe.
Oh, this will be
nice for Qubilah.
Mm-hmm.
Oh, this is pretty one.
Yeah, I like that one too.
Oh, I love these.
So how you doing
up here in suburbia?
It's all right.
Except every time
a neighbor see us,
they think we're going
to blow something up.
Well, you're
lucky to be up here.
In Harlem, there's
fighting every day.
It's like Malcolm
said, the chickens
are coming home to roost.
He wouldn't like that.
He preached self-defense.
He was for peace and self
empowerment through knowledge.
Violence was always
a last resort.
You should get out there.
Tell people who he really was.
No, there's other
ways I can be a service.
Volunteering, helping people.
That's what I'm doing now.
These are the startling
images from Memphis
yesterday where civil rights
leader Martin Luther King
Jr. had come to a rally was
striking sanitation workers
for better wages.
The so-called nonviolent
march quickly got out of hand.
And King and his cohorts had
to flee for safety, leaving
his power and influence within
the movement he created very
much in doubt.
President Johnson
offered federal...
Yes.
Your husband's
a coward and a hypocrite.
He's next.
Who are you?
Why do you hate him so?
Martin?
Martin.
They called again, didn't they?
And they're calling me a coward.
They're saying I'm responsible.
And Martin Luther
King's non-violence
is causing violence.
They're wrong.
You're the one trying to make
sense out of all this chaos.
Maybe I let it
all go to my head.
A Nobel Prize, the
march on Washington.
I thought I changed the world.
I look back and I don't feel
like I accomplished much.
You have.
Not fast enough.
Not after what
happened in Memphis.
There are folks that are
saying they don't even
want me to come back.
And maybe they're right not to.
People want answers, Cori.
And then I don't know
if I have them anymore.
You always said this struggle
would take a long time.
And that the way
wouldn't be easy.
People need you, Martin.
Never underestimate the
value of your leadership.
What is the secret
of your faith in me?
How is it that you believe in me
more than I believe in myself?
Because you're a
vessel for greatness.
I've known it from
the instant we met.
Thank you.
Let's hurry and get inside.
Oh.
All right, don't let it get wet.
Will Daddy be home
from Memphis by then?
Why?
I want him to see it too.
Oh.
Come Easter, your daddy will
be wherever he needs to be.
Patience.
Patience.
I'm coming.
Hello.
Coretta, it's Jesse.
Oh, Jesse.
Oh, just one moment.
Yoki, what did I say?
I just want to say
it one more time.
Jesse, so tell me.
How's everything going?
Doc, just got shot.
Mamma?
Go put that dress away.
Coretta, you there?
Coretta?
Go on.
It's bad, Cori.
He's gone.
Martin Luther King dedicated
his life to love and to justice
between fellow human beings.
He died from the
cause of that effort.
In this difficult day,
in this difficult time
for the United States...
I was in my room.
I heard the shot.
By the time I got there,
he was already gone.
He spoke so strongly
that night at Memphis.
What an inspiration.
He had a premonition and
he still didn't back down.
We can make an effort
as Martin Luther King did
to understand and to comprehend.
Senator Kennedy's offered
a private plane to fly you down
to get Martin.
And Harry Belafonte called
and said he was on his way
to Atlanta.
What's happening with
the march in Memphis?
That's been canceled.
We need to go ahead with it.
They're rioting
across the country.
We have to do something.
We have to show that the
way to deal with Martin's
assassination is
through nonviolence.
We need to consecrate
his legacy.
And what about
the death threats?
Nothing's going to happen.
How do you know that?
Because I'll be
right by your side.
And so will the children.
It's what Martin
would have wanted.
OK.
Just four days after
her husband's assassination,
seeking to heal a wounded
and grieving nation,
a dignified and composed Coretta
Scott King, widow of slain
civil rights leader Martin
Luther King Jr, Together
with three of her four children,
led a silent and peaceful march
of over 21,000 through
downtown Memphis today.
The very city where her husband
was so ruthlessly gunned down.
Continuing his work, she
called for economic justice
for the city's Black sanitation
workers and an end to racism.
After Martin's
death, Coretta worked
hard to keep his causes alive.
She thought the
best way to do it
was to get a national
holiday to honor him.
Betty worked hard.
She was always volunteering.
Oh, I'm so sorry.
Oh, sister Betty.
When are you going to
learn to be on time?
I was helping some of
my young sisters enrol
they're kids in preschool.
Then I just thought by
my councilman's office.
Can you believe it?
Another round of budget cuts.
When the taxpayers
going to learn?
Pay a little now or
a whole lot later.
What?
Is not funny.
I wasn't laughing at you.
I'm just wondering
what Malcolm would
say if he saw you running
around like this with all
these causes.
He always wanted
you to stay at home.
I do whatever I can
to help out the sisters.
Oh, there's a good spot.
Listen, uh, you've heard about
this Black political convention
in Gary, Indiana?
Yes.
They asked me to speak at it.
So you're going, right?
Oh, I don't think so.
All those radicals.
They twisted everything
Malcolm stood
for to justify their actions.
It's not just
radicals who are going.
It's the whole Black community.
It'll be a historic event.
The first of its kind.
If you don't go and speak up
for who Malcolm really was,
those radical groups
will claim him.
And you'll lose
your man for good.
This is your chance to
set the record straight.
Coretta's going to
represent Martin.
Mamma, do you really have to go?
Don't worry, Qubilah.
I'll be back in a few days.
All right?
Why do you have to leave it all?
I have to go for daddy.
Qubilah, honey,
mamma's going to be OK.
You can trust me on that.
All right?
Give me a hug.
I love you.
I love you too.
See you later.
The Black National Political
Convention was something else.
Over 10,000 people showed up.
It seemed like
everyone was there.
Reverend Jackson, Amiri
Baraka, Shirley Chisholm, even
Minister Farrakhan.
I remember Betty had a place
of honor on stage right
beside Coretta.
It was the first time they met.
Mrs.
Coretta Scott King.
I'm glad to see you all here.
And I know my husband would
have been glad as well.
As you know, we live
in a nation trouble
with the triple evils of
racism, war and poverty.
We need to address
these issues and we
need to address them now.
That's why I would like to say
a special word to the women
in the audience.
We are a powerful force.
And our nation's
greatest untapped resource.
Together, with men, we can
repair our injured society.
With our faith and
our determination,
we can build new hope,
establish new communities,
construct new cities,
create a new nation.
Yes!
Yes, form a new
world, a just world.
A world dedicated to families
and equality for all.
A world of peace.
And now, someone
who's making sure that we all
can walk in survival when
we go with Malcom X. Let's
welcome sister Betty Shabazz.
Thank you.
I think it's wonderful to see
so many Black face out there
today.
I know that for many of you,
my husband's words by any means
necessary have become a rallying
cry for violent overthrow.
But that's not who he was.
During his pilgrimage to
Mecca, he met many people.
And not just Black ones.
People from all races,
all backgrounds,
people who were kind to him.
That was an education.
He valued education and the
truth that came with it.
I'm the truth, he once said,
no matter who tells it.
I'm for justice, no matter
who it's for or against.
I am human being
first and foremost.
And as such, I am for whoever
and whatever benefits humanity
as a whole.
Now I know that's not
Malcolm some of you
know or associate my
husband's memory with it.
But that is who he was.
And it's who we should
all aspire to be.
Thank you.
It was a beautiful speech.
I'm sure a lot of people were
surprised to hear it coming
from you.
Well, it's not what they
thought about Malcolm.
I suppose it's easy to
assume things about people.
Yes.
I been watching you on TV.
Admiring you.
Envying you too.
People love you
and your husband.
You know, I met your husband
in Selma just before he died.
He told me.
He said you were
a strong sister.
He said that?
He made a point of it.
Well, how about that?
I half way suspected
when he complimented me,
he was just trying to
curry favor with Martin.
Oh, Malcolm curried
favor with no one.
Your husband did
something important.
He gave our people a
sense of power and pride.
He showed us that Black could
be beautiful and strong.
Less threatening
to a lot of people.
I was surprised by how
his death affected me.
For weeks, I walked around
with a pain in my chest
and a sense of depression, as if
I had lost someone dear to me.
I wish we had had the chance
to bring Martin and Malcolm
together.
They could have been a real
force for reconciliation
and healing.
Great things could
have happened.
Betty, things are really
going to change now.
You should be a part of it.
I got six kids to raise
and nothing to offer.
But that's not true.
You're a strong woman.
You must know that?
I'm so glad we had this
chance to talk together.
I hope we can stay in touch.
Me too.
Are you all right?
Minister Farrakhan?
That man is responsible
for my husband's death.
I can't prove it.
But I know is true.
I know how you feel.
I never believed James
Earl Ray acted alone
when he killed Martin.
There were things that
were never investigated.
They don't want us
to know the truth.
So much was taken away
from us and our kids.
They may have killed
our husbands, Betty.
But they didn't
kill their ideas.
Those are still alive.
What's important now is
for to carry them forward.
Come on.
Over the next few
years, we made progress.
The number of African-American
elected officials
more than doubled.
And Coretta continued to
fight for social justice
and a national
holiday for Martin.
Betty, she went back to school.
It was tough with six kids,
but we all helped out.
We wanted her to...
We needed her to succeed.
And she did.
Armed with her PhD,
she got her first job
at Medgar Evers College in
Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
Hey, you think because
twice your age I can't relate?
Girlfriend, I've
been where you at.
You don't need a man to survive.
You just need some training
so you can get a good job,
take care of yourself
and your baby.
You understand?
Good.
Now here.
Here, take this to pay
for child childcare.
And get here on time tomorrow.
OK?
Don't say a word.
People helped me
when I needed it.
Just pass it along.
Go on.
They said it, but
I didn't believe it.
The widow of Malcolm X
coming to Crown Heights
to teach at the school
honoring my husband.
Myrlie Evers?
Myrlie Evers.
Oh, my gosh.
It's so... it's an honor.
Honor to meet you.
Honor.
Honor is mine.
So what made you
want to work here?
Well, you remember the
documentary on Malcolm?
It was about three years ago.
Well, I took my girls to see
it and it was hard to watch.
My daughter Qubilah
said something to me.
She said, Mommy, you look
so helpless in the movie.
And she was right.
That's exactly how I felt.
I understand that feeling.
I never want to
feel that way again.
I just want to help others.
So what about you?
How did you keep moving
after your husband's death?
Well, with Medgar, we knew
for years they'd become in
to kill him eventually.
Even joked about it.
But nothing can prepare you for
the reality when it happens.
It takes a long time to heal.
A part of you never really does.
But then again, life...
Is that an engagement ring?
Yeah.
I'm getting remarried
in two months.
Really?
Yes.
Oh, I'm so happy for you.
Thank you.
Wow.
How about you?
Is there a man in your life?
Only one, Malcolm.
No!
Get away!
Mamma!
What?
What is it, baby?
Mommy!
What?
They're here to kill you!
No one's going to hurt me.
Nothing's going to happen.
I saw a man!
You were dreaming.
You were dreaming, sweetheart.
Why didn't you tell us Daddy's
killers were still out there?
What are you talking about?
I saw an interview on TV.
They said Daddy's real killers
were still on the loose.
That's just stories, baby.
That's just stories.
Look, no one's going
to take anything away
from us every again.
You hear me?
You are so smart
and so beautiful,
you're going to
have a great future.
You and your sisters are going
to make something of yourself.
I know you will.
Just focused on that, OK?
Hold on.
Hold on.
Martin, Dexter, no horseplay.
Hi.
Well, hello there.
Is your mamma here?
She's learning the bus stop.
Well, is that so?
Oh.
Hey, girl.
Betty.
Oh, I'm so glad to see you.
We made it.
Oh, girl, let me
see these beauties.
You must be Dexter.
Martin.
Bernice and Yolanda.
Did I get that right?
You sure did.
And yours are?
Attallah, Qubilah,
Ilyasah, Malikah, Malaak.
And you all met Gamila.
Come on in.
Come on.
Come on.
All done, Mamma.
All right, you
two bring this out.
But no serving until we
finish making our coffee.
Come on, Yoki,
you take the plates.
They're really getting along.
I know.
It's nice to see.
So I heard you're planning
to speak before Congress
about Martin's holiday.
Well, I have to do something.
They keep shooting it down.
And have ever since it was
first introduced 18 years ago.
They don't want to
give it to a Black man.
It's like Malcolm said, sitting
at the table don't make you
a diner, unless you eat some of
what's on the plate, you know?
Well, I hope he
was wrong about that.
What's wrong?
I didn't upset, you did I?
Oh, no, no.
It's Qubilah.
She's having nightmares again.
I think of all my children,
she was the one most
affected by Malcolm's death.
Well, have you talked
with anyone about it?
Maybe it's time you did.
For both your sakes.
I could give you the
name of the doctor who
met with my children.
It may help.
I don't think so.
You know, after Martin
died, I saw on TV
how you led that march down in
Memphis with your little ones
at your side.
You took them right into the
city where he was shot dead.
I was so amazed.
But it's not a choice
I would have made.
It's something I had to do.
There was no choice.
I'm so proud of you, Qubilah.
Princeton.
Your daddy would
have be proud too.
He used to say education is
our passport to the future.
For tomorrow belongs
to the people
who prepare for it today.
You told me that so many times.
I know.
But I never get tired
of quote your daddy.
Now come on, let's...
Mamma, wait.
What's the matter?
I want to go home.
What are you talking about?
We just got here.
You can't go home now.
Please?
Baby, I know you're nervous.
But everyone's nervous when
they go away to college.
You going to be fine.
It's your time.
Now you take your life in your
hands and you run with it.
OK?
Now come on.
Let's go see your dorm.
Shoot, I'm more
excited than you.
Is this true?
It can't come as a
surprise to you, Cori.
Hoover spied on presidents,
senators, business leaders.
And it did not stop there.
Whatever dirty tricks that sick
son of a bitch could think of,
he'd do.
He didn't care about
your rights or mine.
He spied on everyone from John
Lennon to Albert Einstein.
Hell, he even
targeted the Kennedys.
Martin and I
always suspected they
were taping our conversations.
But I never knew they were
bugging our home, our bedroom,
even our children.
I want these tapes suppressed.
They never should have
existed to begin with.
But I... I think you should let...
No.
I will not let the evil forces
of this country murder Martin
again.
Cori, I know you're upset.
And believe me, I think
you have every right to be.
But are you sure this is
the way you want to proceed?
It's a sensitive time.
President Carter is committed to
pushing through your husband's
holiday.
If you go to work trying
to suppress these tapes,
people are going to wonder what
it is you are trying to hide.
I don't care.
Well, then I'll
set the paperwork and motion.
I'm very sorry
this had to happen.
I'll give you a call
later on this afternoon.
Ralph?
Have you heard them?
Do you know what's
on these tapes?
I have.
There are things on those tapes
that should never come out.
Personal things.
Class, today, we are
fortunate to have a very
special surprise visitor.
She's in town to
testify to the UN
before she flies to India
to meet Indira Gandhi.
So I think you may get a
sense of the kind of person
I'm talking about.
I want you to extend a warm
welcome to my dear friend,
Coretta Scott King.
Thank you so much.
I'm always happy to lend my
services to Betty's causes.
Right now, all of you
are her biggest calls,
because you're the future.
I know graduation is
a few months from now.
So I'm sure you're
wondering what it's like out
in the world.
Doing good it seems like an
abstraction when bills have
to be paid and kids
gotten off to school.
But the impulse to help better
the lives of your fellow man
should never be
ignored or set aside.
The fact is, in helping
others, we do help ourselves.
That's why I fight to give women
a voice, the poor opportunity
and children a peaceful world.
Their success, their empowerment
vastly improves my world.
We're all connected.
Now, I didn't come
here to preach.
So I'd like to answer
your questions, if I can.
Did you always see
yourself as an activist?
Oh, heavens no.
I wanted to be an opera singer.
I was dead set on it.
When I was your age, I was
very much like all of you.
Big plans.
But God intervened.
He introduced me to
someone extraordinary.
Martin taught me the
value of self-sacrifice.
Changed my life forever.
Yes?
Thank you.
Thank you for coming, girl.
I know you changed some
lives in there today.
Something they'll never forget.
Oh, looking at those
girls reminded me
of when Martin and I were young.
He was so charming
and full of hope.
Life was ahead of us.
We had so many dreams.
Oh, things aren't as
clear as time passes.
Dreaming wasn't the only thing
Malcolm and I was doing back.
Oh, busy as always.
Traveling.
The kids are well though.
That's good.
Betty, I have to
ask you something.
What is it?
Was Malcolm faithful to you?
Yes.
Of course.
He was a devout Muslim.
Why are you asking?
I've never talked to
anyone about this before.
A package came to the house.
This was back in '64, just
before Martin was supposed
to go to Oslo to pick up
the Nobel Peace Prize.
It was addressed to him, but
I always opened his mail.
I'm sure they knew that.
It was tapes.
They were filthy, horrible.
A letter came with them.
Anonymous of course.
The person who sent them... well,
now I know it was the FBI...
Threatened to expose Martin
if he accepted the prize.
I never confronted him.
But Martin knew that
I had heard the tapes.
And he was
crestfallen, mortified.
But he was also brave.
He threw the tapes
in the garbage
and when and accepted
his Nobel Peace Prize.
I supported that choice.
I still do.
Martin wasn't a saint.
But that was a big
omission and I loved him.
And he loved you too.
I'm sure.
Qubilah?
Mom, I'm in here.
What are you doing home, honey?
School's not on break
for another week.
I want to drop out.
What?
Why?
Mamma, I don't
fit in at Princeton.
How can you say that?
You're just as smart
as anyone there.
It's not about being smart.
It's about the way
they look at me
as soon as they hear who I am.
As if they expect me
and boots in a beret.
Ignore them.
You don't have to worry
about what people say.
This is your life.
I can't.
I'm not strong like you.
Understand, I love Daddy.
But I don't want to be
Malcolm X's daughter anymore.
I just need to go somewhere I
can be myself, whoever that is.
But you can do that
at Princeton, baby.
No I can't.
That's the point.
Not in this country.
I want to go to Paris.
I've already looked at schools.
I could start at the
Sorbonne in January.
But Princeton was
your dream, Qubilah.
No, it was your words.
I have to find my own way now.
Oh, God, baby, please.
Give it another chance, please.
I can't.
Please, let me go.
OK.
OK.
Thank you.
Betty began to host a
radio show in New York.
I used to listen to it.
I mean, I loved her.
She was funny and sassy.
And her message was always
about empowerment, especially
for women.
No one understood that
better than Coretta.
On the anniversary of
the march on Washington,
she led the largest
demonstration in the capital
city had ever seen.
She presented to
Congress a petition
with over six million signatures
in support of the King holiday.
And as always, there
was opposition.
This time, Jesse
Helms led the charge.
And Coretta had to take him on.
Senator Helms has appointed
to petition the
federal judge to try
to get the FBI tapes unsealed.
Those tapes are illegal
and an invasion of my family.
Are you afraid of
what might be revealed
if they were to be released?
No.
And what about your husband's
known communist connection?
My husband had all sorts of
friends from all walks of life.
The sexual
allegations, Mrs. King?
How can you credit that trash?
You know what he stood for.
The FBI never should
have made those tapes.
My husband and my
life is private.
And so are the lives of everyone
else that J. Edgar Hoover
invaded.
Was your marriage in trouble?
Mom.
Mom.
You all right, Mamma?
I'm fine, honey.
Don't listen to what
those people say.
Your father loved
me and I loved him.
It never stops.
They don't let it.
If they can't win one
way, they'll win another.
I don't know.
Maybe the country's
just not ready.
BETTY Listen, I
couldn't even give my husband
a stamp.
And here you are trying to get
yours whole national holiday.
You're so right.
So how's Qubilah?
Is she back home from Paris now?
Yeah, she came in last night
with a baby and no father.
I just keep thinking of how
disappointed Malcolm would be,
you know?
I know how you feel.
But she's back home now.
That's the main thing.
Yeah, I'm... I'm glad for that.
She can stay with me
and go back to school.
It'd be a new beginning for her.
Well, you know, listen, honey.
I got to go.
My show is about to start.
Oh, I love listening to
it whenever I'm in New York.
BETTY Well,
we're one of the few Black
owned stations in the country.
It's good we get to tell
our side of the story.
Oh, I... I... I got
to go right now.
I will call you later.
You stay strong.
Oh, I will.
And you too.
All right, bye bye.
Welcome, New York.
You're listening to
a "Forum for Women."
And I am your host, Dr. Shabazz.
Oh, he is a beautiful boy.
It's so good to have you back.
It's good to be home.
You know, I've been looking
at some colleges for you.
I was thinking you just thought
of Medgar Evers and then
transfer, if you wanted to.
Sure, Mamma.
Oh, baby.
I know it's not easy.
I raised you and
your sisters alone.
I think I'm going to bed.
I thought we'd have some dinner.
With the baby, I need
to get sleep when I can.
All right, you go to sleep.
I'll look after Malcolm
Jr. But later, we
go over the course catalog.
You're a mom now.
You have responsibilities.
I know.
All kinds.
Come on, baby.
Come on, boy.
Come to grandma.
Come on grandma.
Yes.
Breaking news.
In anticipation of the
Senate vote on a holiday...
Mamma, Mamma it's Coretta.
Scott King
arrived today in Washington.
John Johnson joins
us with the story.
By a vote of 78 to 22,
the Senate today created
the 10th federal holiday
and the first ever for a Black
man, the Martin Luther King Jr.
Holiday.
The Bill now goes
to the White House
where President Reagan has
indicated he will sign it.
I'm humbled and I'm grateful.
And I know my husband
would have felt the same.
This is a holiday for all
of us to serve as a reminder
to resolve our differences in
a more respectful and peaceful
manner.
She did it.
She did it.
Oh, my God.
She did it.
She did it.
She did it.
She did it.
She did it.
In the early '90s Winnie
he and Nelson Mandela visited
Harlem.
Oh, I remember that day.
Betty was asked to
make the introduction.
And when Winnie
realized who Betty was,
she grabbed her and
held her so tight.
Both women wept in
front of the crowd.
I'll never forget how
emotional that moment was.
It was like a recognition of
what Betty had done to so many.
But Betty found it hardest to
help the one young woman she
cared about the most, Qubilah.
Qubilah?
Honey?
I'm sorry.
I must have the wrong apartment.
Mrs. Shabazz.
It's me, Mike.
Oh, you don't remember me?
It's, uh, Michael
Fitzpatrick from 10th grade.
Oh, yes.
Of course.
Yeah, yeah.
Qubilah didn't tell me
she was living with anyone.
Uh, no.
No, I'm, uh, just crashing
there a couple of days.
Where is she?
Hey, Mamma Betty.
Hey, baby.
How are you doing?
I brought you something.
Thank you.
BETTY Where's your mama?
I don't know.
Baby, you want to come visit
with grandma for a little?
Come on.
We can have fun together.
I want to stay with mamma.
Hey, baby, look who showed up.
Put your shirt on.
Yeah, OK.
No problem.
Hey, Mamma.
Hey, baby.
You want a drink?
You know I don't drink.
What makes you think
I was offering alcohol?
Nothing.
Nothing, honey.
I'm sorry, Mamma.
I'm happy to see you.
Hey, isn't it good
to see Mamma Betty?
Going into the other room
so we can talk a minute.
What are you doing here?
Why didn't you call?
I tried.
I wanted to let you know I
sold the place in Mount Vernon
and I'm moving into
a condo in Yonkers.
I was thinking Malcolm Jr.
Could stay with me for a while.
There's plenty of room.
Why?
Do you think I can't
take care of him?
I know you can.
You're his mamma.
It's just, you're
in between jobs.
No, I'm working at
a check cashing place.
Why are you looking
at me like that?
Not good enough for your
Princeton educated daughter?
Still so proud of me.
You know I am.
Honey, you're a
warm, sensitive soul.
I love...
I wished you'd stop saying.
It's true, baby.
I know.
That's a problem.
This model.
That's my type.
Oh, girl, look at these.
Oh, I couldn't wear those.
Why?
Too flashy?
I'd wind up on the floor.
No you won't.
Come on.
They sexy.
You afraid the men
may take notice?
Let's see.
Must be somebody... oh.
He is fine.
You think he's
fine, you wear them.
I won't, girl, please.
I can't wear those.
Why not?
I won't be able
to dance in them.
You hungry?
Mm-hmm.
Oh, I got you a new something.
It's a cosmetics big.
It's 'cause you always
carrying that plastic sack
with your lipsticks in it.
Now, you know I couldn't be seen
would you like that anymore.
I love it.
But, girlfriend, you
may as well give up now.
I'll never be able to
accessorize as well as you.
And their hair is
always perfect.
Well, it's all
about the rollers.
Poor little Malcolm.
Qubilah's been taking them
all around the country.
She just can't seem to
settle down anywhere.
She's been drinking too.
Oh.
Every time I go see her,
she says, don't worry.
I'm doing fine.
It's like I can't
reach her anymore.
And I wonder sometimes, where
that little girl I used to know
has disappeared to.
Oh, she's still in there.
It hasn't been easy for
any of our children.
It's not something
they had a hand in.
But they have paid the price.
I know.
I know.
When Malcolm was killed, he
left a path of destruction
I feel like I just
can't ever fix.
It makes me so angry, Cori.
Live from New York
City, Gabe Pressman's "Channel"
"4 News Forum" with your
host Gabe Pressman.
Today's guest,
Dr. Betty Shabazz,
widow of the controversial
civil rights figure Malcolm X.
Betty, it's good to see you.
And thank you for coming
in to speak with me.
It's my pleasure, Gabe.
You were one of the people
who were kind to my husband.
You know, I first met him
on a street corner in Harlem.
I saw his brilliance even then.
He was changing at the end
of his life, wasn't he?
Yes, he was.
That's why it makes me so
sad that he didn't have time
to communicate those changes
to the people that couldn't get
the early image of him
out of their minds.
Which brings us to the
reason for our interview.
No doubt, you've heard of
the upcoming film "Brother"
Minister."
It hasn't been
released, but I'd like
to show you a clip I managed
to obtain, if that's all right?
Yeah.
I love the Elijah Muhammad
enough that if you attacked
him, I'll kill you.
Love casts out fear.
We don't give a damn
about no White man law
when you attack what we love.
What do you got to say about it?
Did you teach Malcolm?
Did you clean up Malcolm?
Was he your traitor
or was he ours?
And if we dealt with him the way
a nation deals with a traitor,
then what the hell
business is that of yours?
Betty, do you
believe that Farrakhan
had anything to do with the
slaying of your husband?
Of course, yes.
Yes.
I mean, it was a matter of...
It was a badge of honor.
I mean, nobody kept it a secret.
Everybody talked about it.
Malcolm X is back in
the news after his widow
Betty Shabazz named Nation of
Islam leader Louis Farrakhan
as the man responsible for
her husband's assassination
30 years ago in the
Audubon Ballroom in Harlem.
Now minister Farrakhan
is fighting back.
Today, he filed a
$2.4 billion lawsuit
against the "New
York Post" for libel
after it repeated
the allegations.
Hello.
Mrs. Betty Shabazz?
Yes.
Will you accept a collect
call from Qubilah Shabazz?
Yes, of course.
Mamma.
Honey, where are you?
They said they was
going to kill them?
Kill who?
Farrakhan.
But I swear I
didn't do it, Mamma.
I didn't do it.
Honey, where are you?
Where are you?
Mamma.
Oh, baby.
Are you OK?
Just get me out of here, Mamma.
I will.
I will.
Oh, what happened?
Sit.
What's going on?
I saw what you said on TV
and how Farrakhan reacted.
I talked to Michael about
taking him out to protect you,
to keep you safe.
I got scared, Mamma.
I didn't mean for him to do it.
I said no right away.
You believe me, don't you?
Of course, I do.
They took Malcolm Jr.
Oh, no, no.
Baby, don't... it's OK.
He's with me.
Don't you worry, baby.
I'm going to do whatever it
takes to get you out of here.
You hear me?
You know me.
I love you, Qubilah.
I love you too, Mamma.
I know, baby.
Now you be strong.
It's going to be all right.
Listen to me.
I... I need you to understand...
Michael.
Michael.
How could I not want you to.
Right, well,
understand because this is
something I want to make
sure isn't just idle chat.
Michael, I have a lot at stake.
I lost my father and I'm at
risk of losing my mother.
Understand?
Do you understand?
Yeah.
Where'd they get it?
Michael Fitzpatrick.
It turns out he was
working on the FBI payroll.
Oh, my God.
She... she didn't
mean what she says.
She was set up.
We need to mount an
aggressive defense.
Stress Qubilah's
substance abuse problem.
She doesn't have
anything like that.
Betty, this is no
time to be proud.
She's facing a sentence
of up to 90 years.
You want to save her, don't you?
Yes.
Of course.
One thing working in our favor
is the tremendous outpouring
of support we're getting
from our community.
Farrakhan's people
have reached out.
He's offering to host a
fundraising effort for Qubilah.
Why would he do that?
To dispute he had anything
to do with Malcolm's death.
And show a united
front with your family.
You'd have to be there.
So you're asking
me to let Farrakhan
off the hook to save Qubilah.
The DA will never prosecute if
Farrakhan says she's innocent.
The forecast, mostly sunny
skies today with briskly...
winds.
Expect a high of 52 degrees.
All right.
Ooh!
Come in!
Oh.
Oh, my God.
It's so good to see you.
And you.
How you doing?
I'm better now.
Come on in.
Come on.
And then she walks in, Qubilah.
She looks so lost
and vulnerable.
But then all of a sudden, it
was like I could see her again.
My little girl.
All my life have been
trying to protect my kids.
And now she's in prison because
I couldn't keep my mouth shut.
All these years, I didn't want
to talk about Malcolm's death
because it...
It made it real.
And now when you
finally do, they
ask you to forgive the man that
you believe killed your husband
to save your little girl.
Cori, I don't
know if I can do it.
Oh, Betty.
Sometimes, to protect
the ones we love,
we have to do the
thing that's hardest.
Coretta was right.
Betty stood up in the Apollo
Theater beside Farrakhan.
I was there.
She spoke so powerfully.
Her speech was broadcast
into churches and mosques
across the nation.
And after that, charges
against Qubilah were dropped.
But Qubilah's personal
struggles continued.
Malcolm Jr. went
to live with Betty.
It was tough for him.
You know, like any kid, he just
wanted to be with his mother.
Here you go, honey.
Don't do that, please.
Well, aren't you going to eat?
I'm not hungry.
You got to eat something.
Look, maybe after dinner, I'll
take you bowling or something,
OK?
What would you like to do?
I want to go home to Mamma.
Sweetie, your mamma
can't take you right now.
You know that.
Why?
Because you say so.
Because
she's getting things together.
Look, I know it's not easy,
but please, try and understand.
I want to go back.
Well, you can't.
Why?
Because you can't.
I wish you could, but you can't.
Now that's just the way it is.
Now eat your food.
Oh, my... Malcolm.
Malcolm.
Hey, what are you doing?
Don't stand there.
You OK, kid?
Are you OK?
I... I saw someone
putting her on a stretcher.
Saw who?
My... my grandma.
Grandma?
She... she must have
walked down the hall coming
to look for me.
I didn't think she
was going to do that.
Come with me, kid.
Are you going to
send me home now?
It's going to be OK.
I didn't mean for a
Mamma Betty to get hurt.
We're going to look
into that, all right?
I'm sorry.
Auntie Coretta.
I don't want Mamma to go.
Oh, baby.
It's my fault.
Oh, no, no.
No, no, child.
No, no.
Talk to her.
She wants to see you.
Tell her I'm sorry.
She knows you are.
She understands everything.
I pray you're right.
Oh, God.
What have they done to you?
Oh, baby.
Can you hear me?
Oh, Betty.
It wasn't... it wasn't
the boy's fault. Tell him.
I will.
I just wish I had
a little longer.
You have time.
Plenty of time.
Hey, do you remember that
time that we went to the spa
and you wanted me to swim?
I didn't want to be
seen in a bathing suit
so got them to close the pool.
And I asked you how you did it.
And you said, girlfriend, I've
been an activist all my life.
You think I can get them to
close a pool for one hour?
Oh, we laughed so hard at that.
You teased me about my figure.
Said the men didn't know
what they were missing.
And I told you that you was the
one that was the real catch.
That was true.
You were.
Well, I've been thinking
about that time a lot lately.
And I want to do it again.
So I'm going to
look into it just
as soon as you feeling better.
But right now, you need to
rest and get well and take care
of yourself.
Because I don't
want you getting all
worn out so that you
won't be able to go.
You just let us take
care of you for a while.
OK?
Betty, hung on for 23 days
before mercifully she passed.
I saw her there.
I... I... I wasn't the only on.
Hundreds more came to visit.
Educators, celebrities,
theologians, politicians,
friends.
So many friends.
So many.
Coretta died nine years
later of ovarian cancer.
Betty and Coretta, they
embodied a spirit of service
and a dedication to the
memories of their husbands
so that their struggles
wouldn't die with them.
They faced tragedy,
but they refused
to let tragedy defeat them.
Instead, they fought
on for their children
and for the future,
for all of us.
Betty and Coretta, not
such opposites after all.
No.
And earthquake and a hurricane
may have delayed this day.
But this is a day that
would not be denied.
For this day, we celebrate Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr's return
to the National Mall.
I never thought
I'd live to see this day.
A monument to Martin
Luther King dedicated
by our first African-American
President on the National Mall.
It was a long struggle.
But America, all
of us, together, we
got there because of Martin
and so many others like him.
I remember dear brother Malcolm,
how the corners of his mouth
turned up when his smile
and his devilish laugh.
You know?
And then there were their wives.
They carried on
in their struggle
even after their
men were... were...
Were... were gunned
down in cold blood.
I mean, they were a sisterhood,
born of sorrow, yes.
But it became a
sisterhood of greatness.
It's Betty and Coretta
I remember the most.
When Martin was jailed during
the fight for voting rights,
Coretta rushed down to Selma,
Alabama to be by his side.
It was there that
she met Malcolm
for the first and only time.
Then we'll take it off.
Yeah.
I'd like to think the
folks in this part of the world
would do well to listen
to Dr. Martin Luther King,
and give him what he is asking
for, before some other faction
comes along and takes
it some other way.
What he wants is the balance.
And it is a right.
And it will be gotten
one way or the other.
Now I believe in nonviolence if
a person is nonviolent with me.
But if my enemy does not
believe in nonviolence,
then practicing nonviolence
then, in my opinion,
is a waste of time.
If the sick that dog
on you, you shoot it.
Understand me?
Mrs. King.
Malik.
I know you by the name Malcolm.
Well, you didn't
know I changed it then.
I guess they called you
down here to the church
when they heard I
was coming, huh?
You know it's irresponsible
to talk the way you do.
We got enough problems down
here without you showing up
and bringing us more.
I didn't come here
to make trouble.
I'm here to support Dr. King.
You should thank me.
And so should he.
If his enemies wind have
given him what he wants,
it's only because I
scared the pants off them.
And if we wind up fighting
amongst ourselves over strategy
and lose sight of the bigger
picture, who do we thank then?
I agree.
We need to be self empowered.
We need a strong sense of pride
in ourselves and our history.
That's why I'm asking Dr.
King to link up his struggle
with that about black and brown
brothers and sisters in Africa
and the rest of the world.
Well, shouldn't we deal with
our own fires in this country
before we go putting out others?
You're missing the point.
Oh, am I?
We get those countries to
censor ours in the United
Nations and you'll see some
real change down here real fast.
We push for that, we
risk bringing down Johnson.
And no other President
has done more for us.
If he's that great, why is
your husband in jail right now?
My husband has faith,
as do I, that right
will triumph in men's hearts.
Well, someone has faith.
That's for sure.
I'm glad I met you, Mrs. King.
I can see where Dr.
King gets his strength.
Minister.
I was rude of earlier.
Thank you for coming.
How are you holding on?
I hate it here.
Oh, I know.
Never gets any easier, does it?
How are the children?
Worried.
They wanted to come down.
Edith's with them.
You should see the
support you're getting.
All the news stations
are down here.
Backers are in town.
Even Malcolm X came.
To glorify himself, no doubt.
That man gives the
struggle a bad name.
I don't know.
He's seemed different in person.
Even changed his name.
He refuses to disavow violence.
We need the White man to make
any progress in this country.
And threatening him with
violence is not the answer.
I think he's softening.
In his heart, he
wants what we want.
I think it's possible that he
could come around given time.
I sure hope you're
right, for all of our sake.
Go to sleep, sweetie.
Close your eyes.
Go to sleep.
What you doing up still?
Time to get you to bed.
Go on now.
Tom, won't you head home?
Malcolm told me to
stay and watch you all.
Nothing's going
to happen tonight.
Now go on.
Sister Antoinette's
going want you home.
I'll see you in the morning.
Two such beautiful girls.
Now get straight to sleep, OK?
Stay in bed.
Oh, Malcolm.
You scared me.
I parked a couple of
blocks away just to be safe.
Daddy.
Daddy.
Attallah.
Daddy.
Qubilah, come over here.
Daddy.
No time to be sleeping.
Daddy's home.
I missed you both.
You miss me?
Yes.
I just put them to bed and
you riling them all up again.
Oh, come on.
Who wants some ice cream?
- I do.
- I do.
Yeah, let's go.
I got something for you girls.
Wow.
What is it?
It's Big Ben.
It's a giant clock in England.
It's for your sisters too.
And this here is
England's national anthem.
That's where I got
this, London, England.
It's where I got to
see the real Big Ben.
Did you visit the
queen in her castle?
No.
Daddy didn't get the meat
this time, he was too busy.
But one day.
Now, go to bed.
I love you.
You know they wouldn't
let me into Paris.
Made me turn back to London.
I'm sure the FBI had their
fingers all over that.
Stay home.
Stop all this traveling.
The girls need you here.
I need you.
I can't.
If I'm going to introduce
that new resolution at the UN
sanctioning this country, I
need to find other nations
willing to stand up
against dollarism.
It's not easy.
Once they drop those dollars
on you, your soul goes.
I don't care about any of that.
We got one month in his house
before the courts take it
from us.
And then what?
This is all the girls
have ever known.
Where we going to go?
We got no money.
We got nothing.
Elijah Muhammad gave us this
house and I plan to keep it.
He didn't give us this house.
It's his house.
He only let us live here
because you were preaching
for the nation.
And when he kicked you out,
he kicked you out of his house
too.
What you expect?
You put the man down in
public every chance you get.
I'll stop putting
him down when he apologizes
to the young mothers of all
those children he had out
of wedlock.
He should get down on his
knees and beg forgiveness
for seducing them.
Malcolm, his men are
calling him every day
threatening to kill you.
Anything happens to me, my new
organization of Muslim brothers
will take care of
you and our family.
Your new organization
of Muslim brothers
can barely afford to
keep their offices open.
I'm supposed to rely on them?
Malcolm, I need a job.
No.
The woman's place is in
the home with the kids.
Well, we need somewhere
safe to raise our kids.
You'll get it soon enough.
After I'm gone.
- Don't talk like that.
- Well, why not?
I'm practically a dead man.
I don't want to hear it.
I don't want to hear it.
You know what it's true.
They're going to kill me, Betty.
Hell, I'd kill me too
after some of the things
I said about Elijah
and the nation.
What are we supposed
to do without you?
We've already been through this.
There's a destiny for all of us.
Nothing can keep us from it.
Anyway, as long as I'm here,
I'm going to enjoy my ice cream.
My sweet brown sugar, I
wish I had more to give you.
So what do you think?
A boy?
Fifth time's a charm?
I don't know.
But if it is, he's
waiting to see his daddy.
And you better be there for him.
What you trying to do?
Make more babies.
As many as possible.
Before going to London, I
traveled down to see Dr. King.
They wouldn't let
me in the prison,
but I did get to see Mrs. King.
Really?
Yeah, she's a strong sister.
Not as strong as you though.
I went to Tuskegee too.
Your old alma mater
invited me to speak.
I got scared of him.
I bet you did.
Oh, Tuskegee.
I remember back in Detroit
when my mama put me on a train
and go down there.
I was just 17 and on my way
to college for the first time.
And I was so sheltered
up until then.
We were on a station platform.
And there she was, this woman
who loved me all my life
struggling to tell me what
I find when I got there.
Honest White folks
showing their true racism.
Yeah.
Yeah, it was the first time
I ever seen her at a loss
for words.
I didn't understand
until I got there.
You know, I couldn't believe
the people I didn't even
know could hate me so much.
Mm-hmm.
I didn't know how to
react until I met you.
I'm sorry for everything.
Go.
Go.
Go.
Hit 'em now.
Mommy.
Daddy.
Mommy.
What is it?
Get up.
Get up!
Get the babies.
Come on.
Come on.
Come on.
Come on.
Stay with me.
Go with your mom.
Go with your mom.
Come on.
Come here.
Come here.
Come here.
Hey, girls.
Oh.
Come on, I got to talk to you.
I've arranged for
Tom to take you
and the kids back to stay with
him and sister Antoinette.
What?
What about you?
I've got to go to the airport.
I've got a speech in Detroit.
Today?
I'm not going to be scared away.
Malcolm, the kids need you.
They are terrified.
They don't know
what's happening.
It's too dangerous here.
It's worse for them if
I stay here with you.
Things are going to change soon.
We'll get a new
house, someplace safe.
Just think about the future.
That's where our hope lies.
With what they
could salvage from the fire,
Betty and the kids moved in with
Tom and his wife Antoinette.
We called her Tony.
A week went by.
They were getting threatening
calls day and night.
And still, they always
answered the phone
hoping it would be
Malcolm on the line.
- Hello?
- Hey, Tony.
It's Malcolm.
Can I speak to Betty, please?
Just a minute.
Malcolm.
Hey, how are you doing?
How are the girls?
Missing you.
Me too.
Some good news.
I spoke to my sister Ella
about helping with the house.
She said that she'd
paid the down payment
and put it in her name
since no one to sell to me.
Oh, that's great, honey.
Whatever it takes.
Whatever it takes.
I just want us to
be together again.
What is it?
What is it?
Some coward called this morning
and said, wake up, brother.
Sounded like a White man trying
to put fear into my heart
and into the hearts of
everyone who follows me.
I can't let them do that.
I have to leave now to
preach up in Harlem.
Would it bother you
to bring the girls?
Of course not.
I love you, Betty.
I... I love you too.
He wants us to come
to the Autobahn.
Oh, sister Betty,
that's wonderful.
Tom.
I heard.
I'll drive you there.
We better get a move
on or you'll be late.
Oh, thank you so much.
You go on.
I'll take care of the baby.
Thank you, sister Antoinette.
Thank you.
I come to these
things all the time.
All the time.
Assalamu alaikum,
brothers and sisters.
Get your hand of my pocket.
Hold it.
Hold it.
Don't get excited.
Let's stay cool, brothers.
Everything is going
to be all right.
I was afraid something like this
would happen.
Nothing good can ever come
from preaching violence.
That is such a loss.
They say his wife's pregnant.
Oh, the poor woman.
Martin, we have to
reach out to her.
I've already made a
statement to the press.
Something more personal.
Hate leads to
more and more hate.
Those are Malcolm
supporters burning down
the nation's mosque.
Today in Harlem.
The burning of a
Nation a Islam mosques.
Serves them right for
what the Nation done to him.
Dark and twisted Malcolm X,
who used his extraordinary
genius for evil intent.
Nation of Islam spokesperson
Louis Farrakhan was...
Their religion wasn't nothing
but four senior citizens
and a beat up,
old station wagon.
Now look at all of them.
Malcolm didn't know
what he was playing with.
No, he didn't.
He didn't know what
he was playing with.
You just don't jump up against
a divine messenger of God
like he did.
He has to die.
And God obliged to it.
Talk like that's what
brother Malcolm killed.
Minister Farrakhan's trying
to take his own position
in the Nation.
He got them all riled up and
now look what's happened.
I can't stand to see it.
I just want to keep all
this away from my kids.
They'll be able to see
how much their daddy meant
to people at the funeral.
They're not going.
What?
They're not going.
I couldn't protect them from
seeing their father killed.
I couldn't protect them from
seeing their house burned down.
I'm going to protect them now.
Sister Betty.
Keeping them safe,
that's what's important.
That's more important
than anything.
Here at this final
hour in this quiet place,
Harlem has come to bid farewell
to one of its brightest hopes.
Extinguished now and
gone from us forever.
Malcolm was our manhood,
our living Black manhood.
And in honoring him, we
honor the best in ourselves.
However, we may have...
Just look at her, Tom.
She's got no money, no
home and she's pregnant.
What's going to happen to her?
Sister Betty, I
brought you some tea.
Oh, thank you, sister.
The telegram came.
It's from Martin Luther King Jr.
Read it.
I was certainly saddened
by the shocking and tragic
assassination of your husband.
While we did not always
see eye to eye on methods
to solve the race
problem, I always
had a deep affection
for Malcolm.
He was an eloquent spokesman
for his point of view.
And no one can honestly
doubt that Malcolm
had a great concern
for the problems
that we face as a race.
While I know that this is
a difficult hour for you...
I am sure that God will give
you the strength to endure.
I will certainly be
remembering you in my prayers.
And please know that
you have my deepest sympathy.
Always considered me a friend.
And if I can do anything to
ease the heavy load that you
are forced to carry
at this time...
Please feel free to call on me.
Martin Luther King Jr.
He should have values him
when he meant something.
After Malcolm died
it felt like the whole nation
was in a fever.
Students protested
the war in Vietnam.
Watts burned, then Detroit.
The Black Panthers
preached revolution
using Malcolm's early speeches
to justify their actions.
And Betty, well, she...
She... she had her hands full
just raising six girls.
That's right.
The boy she and
Malcolm never came.
Instead, they got twin girls.
We all helped her.
And with the royalties from
Malcolm's autobiography,
we were able to raise enough to
please a down payment on a home
in Mount Vernon.
A nice home away
from the city where
Barry could give her
children a sheltered life
she had dreamed of.
Hello?
In here.
Trying to make some
clothes for the kids.
Then I came just in time.
Oh, they've gotten so big.
What's all this?
I took up a collection.
Oh, bless you,
sister Antoinette.
Look at you.
Oh, look at you.
You look good.
Girl, please.
I'm run ragged.
I got diapers and
daycare up to here.
I feel like the old
woman in the shoe.
Oh, this will be
nice for Qubilah.
Mm-hmm.
Oh, this is pretty one.
Yeah, I like that one too.
Oh, I love these.
So how you doing
up here in suburbia?
It's all right.
Except every time
a neighbor see us,
they think we're going
to blow something up.
Well, you're
lucky to be up here.
In Harlem, there's
fighting every day.
It's like Malcolm
said, the chickens
are coming home to roost.
He wouldn't like that.
He preached self-defense.
He was for peace and self
empowerment through knowledge.
Violence was always
a last resort.
You should get out there.
Tell people who he really was.
No, there's other
ways I can be a service.
Volunteering, helping people.
That's what I'm doing now.
These are the startling
images from Memphis
yesterday where civil rights
leader Martin Luther King
Jr. had come to a rally was
striking sanitation workers
for better wages.
The so-called nonviolent
march quickly got out of hand.
And King and his cohorts had
to flee for safety, leaving
his power and influence within
the movement he created very
much in doubt.
President Johnson
offered federal...
Yes.
Your husband's
a coward and a hypocrite.
He's next.
Who are you?
Why do you hate him so?
Martin?
Martin.
They called again, didn't they?
And they're calling me a coward.
They're saying I'm responsible.
And Martin Luther
King's non-violence
is causing violence.
They're wrong.
You're the one trying to make
sense out of all this chaos.
Maybe I let it
all go to my head.
A Nobel Prize, the
march on Washington.
I thought I changed the world.
I look back and I don't feel
like I accomplished much.
You have.
Not fast enough.
Not after what
happened in Memphis.
There are folks that are
saying they don't even
want me to come back.
And maybe they're right not to.
People want answers, Cori.
And then I don't know
if I have them anymore.
You always said this struggle
would take a long time.
And that the way
wouldn't be easy.
People need you, Martin.
Never underestimate the
value of your leadership.
What is the secret
of your faith in me?
How is it that you believe in me
more than I believe in myself?
Because you're a
vessel for greatness.
I've known it from
the instant we met.
Thank you.
Let's hurry and get inside.
Oh.
All right, don't let it get wet.
Will Daddy be home
from Memphis by then?
Why?
I want him to see it too.
Oh.
Come Easter, your daddy will
be wherever he needs to be.
Patience.
Patience.
I'm coming.
Hello.
Coretta, it's Jesse.
Oh, Jesse.
Oh, just one moment.
Yoki, what did I say?
I just want to say
it one more time.
Jesse, so tell me.
How's everything going?
Doc, just got shot.
Mamma?
Go put that dress away.
Coretta, you there?
Coretta?
Go on.
It's bad, Cori.
He's gone.
Martin Luther King dedicated
his life to love and to justice
between fellow human beings.
He died from the
cause of that effort.
In this difficult day,
in this difficult time
for the United States...
I was in my room.
I heard the shot.
By the time I got there,
he was already gone.
He spoke so strongly
that night at Memphis.
What an inspiration.
He had a premonition and
he still didn't back down.
We can make an effort
as Martin Luther King did
to understand and to comprehend.
Senator Kennedy's offered
a private plane to fly you down
to get Martin.
And Harry Belafonte called
and said he was on his way
to Atlanta.
What's happening with
the march in Memphis?
That's been canceled.
We need to go ahead with it.
They're rioting
across the country.
We have to do something.
We have to show that the
way to deal with Martin's
assassination is
through nonviolence.
We need to consecrate
his legacy.
And what about
the death threats?
Nothing's going to happen.
How do you know that?
Because I'll be
right by your side.
And so will the children.
It's what Martin
would have wanted.
OK.
Just four days after
her husband's assassination,
seeking to heal a wounded
and grieving nation,
a dignified and composed Coretta
Scott King, widow of slain
civil rights leader Martin
Luther King Jr, Together
with three of her four children,
led a silent and peaceful march
of over 21,000 through
downtown Memphis today.
The very city where her husband
was so ruthlessly gunned down.
Continuing his work, she
called for economic justice
for the city's Black sanitation
workers and an end to racism.
After Martin's
death, Coretta worked
hard to keep his causes alive.
She thought the
best way to do it
was to get a national
holiday to honor him.
Betty worked hard.
She was always volunteering.
Oh, I'm so sorry.
Oh, sister Betty.
When are you going to
learn to be on time?
I was helping some of
my young sisters enrol
they're kids in preschool.
Then I just thought by
my councilman's office.
Can you believe it?
Another round of budget cuts.
When the taxpayers
going to learn?
Pay a little now or
a whole lot later.
What?
Is not funny.
I wasn't laughing at you.
I'm just wondering
what Malcolm would
say if he saw you running
around like this with all
these causes.
He always wanted
you to stay at home.
I do whatever I can
to help out the sisters.
Oh, there's a good spot.
Listen, uh, you've heard about
this Black political convention
in Gary, Indiana?
Yes.
They asked me to speak at it.
So you're going, right?
Oh, I don't think so.
All those radicals.
They twisted everything
Malcolm stood
for to justify their actions.
It's not just
radicals who are going.
It's the whole Black community.
It'll be a historic event.
The first of its kind.
If you don't go and speak up
for who Malcolm really was,
those radical groups
will claim him.
And you'll lose
your man for good.
This is your chance to
set the record straight.
Coretta's going to
represent Martin.
Mamma, do you really have to go?
Don't worry, Qubilah.
I'll be back in a few days.
All right?
Why do you have to leave it all?
I have to go for daddy.
Qubilah, honey,
mamma's going to be OK.
You can trust me on that.
All right?
Give me a hug.
I love you.
I love you too.
See you later.
The Black National Political
Convention was something else.
Over 10,000 people showed up.
It seemed like
everyone was there.
Reverend Jackson, Amiri
Baraka, Shirley Chisholm, even
Minister Farrakhan.
I remember Betty had a place
of honor on stage right
beside Coretta.
It was the first time they met.
Mrs.
Coretta Scott King.
I'm glad to see you all here.
And I know my husband would
have been glad as well.
As you know, we live
in a nation trouble
with the triple evils of
racism, war and poverty.
We need to address
these issues and we
need to address them now.
That's why I would like to say
a special word to the women
in the audience.
We are a powerful force.
And our nation's
greatest untapped resource.
Together, with men, we can
repair our injured society.
With our faith and
our determination,
we can build new hope,
establish new communities,
construct new cities,
create a new nation.
Yes!
Yes, form a new
world, a just world.
A world dedicated to families
and equality for all.
A world of peace.
And now, someone
who's making sure that we all
can walk in survival when
we go with Malcom X. Let's
welcome sister Betty Shabazz.
Thank you.
I think it's wonderful to see
so many Black face out there
today.
I know that for many of you,
my husband's words by any means
necessary have become a rallying
cry for violent overthrow.
But that's not who he was.
During his pilgrimage to
Mecca, he met many people.
And not just Black ones.
People from all races,
all backgrounds,
people who were kind to him.
That was an education.
He valued education and the
truth that came with it.
I'm the truth, he once said,
no matter who tells it.
I'm for justice, no matter
who it's for or against.
I am human being
first and foremost.
And as such, I am for whoever
and whatever benefits humanity
as a whole.
Now I know that's not
Malcolm some of you
know or associate my
husband's memory with it.
But that is who he was.
And it's who we should
all aspire to be.
Thank you.
It was a beautiful speech.
I'm sure a lot of people were
surprised to hear it coming
from you.
Well, it's not what they
thought about Malcolm.
I suppose it's easy to
assume things about people.
Yes.
I been watching you on TV.
Admiring you.
Envying you too.
People love you
and your husband.
You know, I met your husband
in Selma just before he died.
He told me.
He said you were
a strong sister.
He said that?
He made a point of it.
Well, how about that?
I half way suspected
when he complimented me,
he was just trying to
curry favor with Martin.
Oh, Malcolm curried
favor with no one.
Your husband did
something important.
He gave our people a
sense of power and pride.
He showed us that Black could
be beautiful and strong.
Less threatening
to a lot of people.
I was surprised by how
his death affected me.
For weeks, I walked around
with a pain in my chest
and a sense of depression, as if
I had lost someone dear to me.
I wish we had had the chance
to bring Martin and Malcolm
together.
They could have been a real
force for reconciliation
and healing.
Great things could
have happened.
Betty, things are really
going to change now.
You should be a part of it.
I got six kids to raise
and nothing to offer.
But that's not true.
You're a strong woman.
You must know that?
I'm so glad we had this
chance to talk together.
I hope we can stay in touch.
Me too.
Are you all right?
Minister Farrakhan?
That man is responsible
for my husband's death.
I can't prove it.
But I know is true.
I know how you feel.
I never believed James
Earl Ray acted alone
when he killed Martin.
There were things that
were never investigated.
They don't want us
to know the truth.
So much was taken away
from us and our kids.
They may have killed
our husbands, Betty.
But they didn't
kill their ideas.
Those are still alive.
What's important now is
for to carry them forward.
Come on.
Over the next few
years, we made progress.
The number of African-American
elected officials
more than doubled.
And Coretta continued to
fight for social justice
and a national
holiday for Martin.
Betty, she went back to school.
It was tough with six kids,
but we all helped out.
We wanted her to...
We needed her to succeed.
And she did.
Armed with her PhD,
she got her first job
at Medgar Evers College in
Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
Hey, you think because
twice your age I can't relate?
Girlfriend, I've
been where you at.
You don't need a man to survive.
You just need some training
so you can get a good job,
take care of yourself
and your baby.
You understand?
Good.
Now here.
Here, take this to pay
for child childcare.
And get here on time tomorrow.
OK?
Don't say a word.
People helped me
when I needed it.
Just pass it along.
Go on.
They said it, but
I didn't believe it.
The widow of Malcolm X
coming to Crown Heights
to teach at the school
honoring my husband.
Myrlie Evers?
Myrlie Evers.
Oh, my gosh.
It's so... it's an honor.
Honor to meet you.
Honor.
Honor is mine.
So what made you
want to work here?
Well, you remember the
documentary on Malcolm?
It was about three years ago.
Well, I took my girls to see
it and it was hard to watch.
My daughter Qubilah
said something to me.
She said, Mommy, you look
so helpless in the movie.
And she was right.
That's exactly how I felt.
I understand that feeling.
I never want to
feel that way again.
I just want to help others.
So what about you?
How did you keep moving
after your husband's death?
Well, with Medgar, we knew
for years they'd become in
to kill him eventually.
Even joked about it.
But nothing can prepare you for
the reality when it happens.
It takes a long time to heal.
A part of you never really does.
But then again, life...
Is that an engagement ring?
Yeah.
I'm getting remarried
in two months.
Really?
Yes.
Oh, I'm so happy for you.
Thank you.
Wow.
How about you?
Is there a man in your life?
Only one, Malcolm.
No!
Get away!
Mamma!
What?
What is it, baby?
Mommy!
What?
They're here to kill you!
No one's going to hurt me.
Nothing's going to happen.
I saw a man!
You were dreaming.
You were dreaming, sweetheart.
Why didn't you tell us Daddy's
killers were still out there?
What are you talking about?
I saw an interview on TV.
They said Daddy's real killers
were still on the loose.
That's just stories, baby.
That's just stories.
Look, no one's going
to take anything away
from us every again.
You hear me?
You are so smart
and so beautiful,
you're going to
have a great future.
You and your sisters are going
to make something of yourself.
I know you will.
Just focused on that, OK?
Hold on.
Hold on.
Martin, Dexter, no horseplay.
Hi.
Well, hello there.
Is your mamma here?
She's learning the bus stop.
Well, is that so?
Oh.
Hey, girl.
Betty.
Oh, I'm so glad to see you.
We made it.
Oh, girl, let me
see these beauties.
You must be Dexter.
Martin.
Bernice and Yolanda.
Did I get that right?
You sure did.
And yours are?
Attallah, Qubilah,
Ilyasah, Malikah, Malaak.
And you all met Gamila.
Come on in.
Come on.
Come on.
All done, Mamma.
All right, you
two bring this out.
But no serving until we
finish making our coffee.
Come on, Yoki,
you take the plates.
They're really getting along.
I know.
It's nice to see.
So I heard you're planning
to speak before Congress
about Martin's holiday.
Well, I have to do something.
They keep shooting it down.
And have ever since it was
first introduced 18 years ago.
They don't want to
give it to a Black man.
It's like Malcolm said, sitting
at the table don't make you
a diner, unless you eat some of
what's on the plate, you know?
Well, I hope he
was wrong about that.
What's wrong?
I didn't upset, you did I?
Oh, no, no.
It's Qubilah.
She's having nightmares again.
I think of all my children,
she was the one most
affected by Malcolm's death.
Well, have you talked
with anyone about it?
Maybe it's time you did.
For both your sakes.
I could give you the
name of the doctor who
met with my children.
It may help.
I don't think so.
You know, after Martin
died, I saw on TV
how you led that march down in
Memphis with your little ones
at your side.
You took them right into the
city where he was shot dead.
I was so amazed.
But it's not a choice
I would have made.
It's something I had to do.
There was no choice.
I'm so proud of you, Qubilah.
Princeton.
Your daddy would
have be proud too.
He used to say education is
our passport to the future.
For tomorrow belongs
to the people
who prepare for it today.
You told me that so many times.
I know.
But I never get tired
of quote your daddy.
Now come on, let's...
Mamma, wait.
What's the matter?
I want to go home.
What are you talking about?
We just got here.
You can't go home now.
Please?
Baby, I know you're nervous.
But everyone's nervous when
they go away to college.
You going to be fine.
It's your time.
Now you take your life in your
hands and you run with it.
OK?
Now come on.
Let's go see your dorm.
Shoot, I'm more
excited than you.
Is this true?
It can't come as a
surprise to you, Cori.
Hoover spied on presidents,
senators, business leaders.
And it did not stop there.
Whatever dirty tricks that sick
son of a bitch could think of,
he'd do.
He didn't care about
your rights or mine.
He spied on everyone from John
Lennon to Albert Einstein.
Hell, he even
targeted the Kennedys.
Martin and I
always suspected they
were taping our conversations.
But I never knew they were
bugging our home, our bedroom,
even our children.
I want these tapes suppressed.
They never should have
existed to begin with.
But I... I think you should let...
No.
I will not let the evil forces
of this country murder Martin
again.
Cori, I know you're upset.
And believe me, I think
you have every right to be.
But are you sure this is
the way you want to proceed?
It's a sensitive time.
President Carter is committed to
pushing through your husband's
holiday.
If you go to work trying
to suppress these tapes,
people are going to wonder what
it is you are trying to hide.
I don't care.
Well, then I'll
set the paperwork and motion.
I'm very sorry
this had to happen.
I'll give you a call
later on this afternoon.
Ralph?
Have you heard them?
Do you know what's
on these tapes?
I have.
There are things on those tapes
that should never come out.
Personal things.
Class, today, we are
fortunate to have a very
special surprise visitor.
She's in town to
testify to the UN
before she flies to India
to meet Indira Gandhi.
So I think you may get a
sense of the kind of person
I'm talking about.
I want you to extend a warm
welcome to my dear friend,
Coretta Scott King.
Thank you so much.
I'm always happy to lend my
services to Betty's causes.
Right now, all of you
are her biggest calls,
because you're the future.
I know graduation is
a few months from now.
So I'm sure you're
wondering what it's like out
in the world.
Doing good it seems like an
abstraction when bills have
to be paid and kids
gotten off to school.
But the impulse to help better
the lives of your fellow man
should never be
ignored or set aside.
The fact is, in helping
others, we do help ourselves.
That's why I fight to give women
a voice, the poor opportunity
and children a peaceful world.
Their success, their empowerment
vastly improves my world.
We're all connected.
Now, I didn't come
here to preach.
So I'd like to answer
your questions, if I can.
Did you always see
yourself as an activist?
Oh, heavens no.
I wanted to be an opera singer.
I was dead set on it.
When I was your age, I was
very much like all of you.
Big plans.
But God intervened.
He introduced me to
someone extraordinary.
Martin taught me the
value of self-sacrifice.
Changed my life forever.
Yes?
Thank you.
Thank you for coming, girl.
I know you changed some
lives in there today.
Something they'll never forget.
Oh, looking at those
girls reminded me
of when Martin and I were young.
He was so charming
and full of hope.
Life was ahead of us.
We had so many dreams.
Oh, things aren't as
clear as time passes.
Dreaming wasn't the only thing
Malcolm and I was doing back.
Oh, busy as always.
Traveling.
The kids are well though.
That's good.
Betty, I have to
ask you something.
What is it?
Was Malcolm faithful to you?
Yes.
Of course.
He was a devout Muslim.
Why are you asking?
I've never talked to
anyone about this before.
A package came to the house.
This was back in '64, just
before Martin was supposed
to go to Oslo to pick up
the Nobel Peace Prize.
It was addressed to him, but
I always opened his mail.
I'm sure they knew that.
It was tapes.
They were filthy, horrible.
A letter came with them.
Anonymous of course.
The person who sent them... well,
now I know it was the FBI...
Threatened to expose Martin
if he accepted the prize.
I never confronted him.
But Martin knew that
I had heard the tapes.
And he was
crestfallen, mortified.
But he was also brave.
He threw the tapes
in the garbage
and when and accepted
his Nobel Peace Prize.
I supported that choice.
I still do.
Martin wasn't a saint.
But that was a big
omission and I loved him.
And he loved you too.
I'm sure.
Qubilah?
Mom, I'm in here.
What are you doing home, honey?
School's not on break
for another week.
I want to drop out.
What?
Why?
Mamma, I don't
fit in at Princeton.
How can you say that?
You're just as smart
as anyone there.
It's not about being smart.
It's about the way
they look at me
as soon as they hear who I am.
As if they expect me
and boots in a beret.
Ignore them.
You don't have to worry
about what people say.
This is your life.
I can't.
I'm not strong like you.
Understand, I love Daddy.
But I don't want to be
Malcolm X's daughter anymore.
I just need to go somewhere I
can be myself, whoever that is.
But you can do that
at Princeton, baby.
No I can't.
That's the point.
Not in this country.
I want to go to Paris.
I've already looked at schools.
I could start at the
Sorbonne in January.
But Princeton was
your dream, Qubilah.
No, it was your words.
I have to find my own way now.
Oh, God, baby, please.
Give it another chance, please.
I can't.
Please, let me go.
OK.
OK.
Thank you.
Betty began to host a
radio show in New York.
I used to listen to it.
I mean, I loved her.
She was funny and sassy.
And her message was always
about empowerment, especially
for women.
No one understood that
better than Coretta.
On the anniversary of
the march on Washington,
she led the largest
demonstration in the capital
city had ever seen.
She presented to
Congress a petition
with over six million signatures
in support of the King holiday.
And as always, there
was opposition.
This time, Jesse
Helms led the charge.
And Coretta had to take him on.
Senator Helms has appointed
to petition the
federal judge to try
to get the FBI tapes unsealed.
Those tapes are illegal
and an invasion of my family.
Are you afraid of
what might be revealed
if they were to be released?
No.
And what about your husband's
known communist connection?
My husband had all sorts of
friends from all walks of life.
The sexual
allegations, Mrs. King?
How can you credit that trash?
You know what he stood for.
The FBI never should
have made those tapes.
My husband and my
life is private.
And so are the lives of everyone
else that J. Edgar Hoover
invaded.
Was your marriage in trouble?
Mom.
Mom.
You all right, Mamma?
I'm fine, honey.
Don't listen to what
those people say.
Your father loved
me and I loved him.
It never stops.
They don't let it.
If they can't win one
way, they'll win another.
I don't know.
Maybe the country's
just not ready.
BETTY Listen, I
couldn't even give my husband
a stamp.
And here you are trying to get
yours whole national holiday.
You're so right.
So how's Qubilah?
Is she back home from Paris now?
Yeah, she came in last night
with a baby and no father.
I just keep thinking of how
disappointed Malcolm would be,
you know?
I know how you feel.
But she's back home now.
That's the main thing.
Yeah, I'm... I'm glad for that.
She can stay with me
and go back to school.
It'd be a new beginning for her.
Well, you know, listen, honey.
I got to go.
My show is about to start.
Oh, I love listening to
it whenever I'm in New York.
BETTY Well,
we're one of the few Black
owned stations in the country.
It's good we get to tell
our side of the story.
Oh, I... I... I got
to go right now.
I will call you later.
You stay strong.
Oh, I will.
And you too.
All right, bye bye.
Welcome, New York.
You're listening to
a "Forum for Women."
And I am your host, Dr. Shabazz.
Oh, he is a beautiful boy.
It's so good to have you back.
It's good to be home.
You know, I've been looking
at some colleges for you.
I was thinking you just thought
of Medgar Evers and then
transfer, if you wanted to.
Sure, Mamma.
Oh, baby.
I know it's not easy.
I raised you and
your sisters alone.
I think I'm going to bed.
I thought we'd have some dinner.
With the baby, I need
to get sleep when I can.
All right, you go to sleep.
I'll look after Malcolm
Jr. But later, we
go over the course catalog.
You're a mom now.
You have responsibilities.
I know.
All kinds.
Come on, baby.
Come on, boy.
Come to grandma.
Come on grandma.
Yes.
Breaking news.
In anticipation of the
Senate vote on a holiday...
Mamma, Mamma it's Coretta.
Scott King
arrived today in Washington.
John Johnson joins
us with the story.
By a vote of 78 to 22,
the Senate today created
the 10th federal holiday
and the first ever for a Black
man, the Martin Luther King Jr.
Holiday.
The Bill now goes
to the White House
where President Reagan has
indicated he will sign it.
I'm humbled and I'm grateful.
And I know my husband
would have felt the same.
This is a holiday for all
of us to serve as a reminder
to resolve our differences in
a more respectful and peaceful
manner.
She did it.
She did it.
Oh, my God.
She did it.
She did it.
She did it.
She did it.
She did it.
In the early '90s Winnie
he and Nelson Mandela visited
Harlem.
Oh, I remember that day.
Betty was asked to
make the introduction.
And when Winnie
realized who Betty was,
she grabbed her and
held her so tight.
Both women wept in
front of the crowd.
I'll never forget how
emotional that moment was.
It was like a recognition of
what Betty had done to so many.
But Betty found it hardest to
help the one young woman she
cared about the most, Qubilah.
Qubilah?
Honey?
I'm sorry.
I must have the wrong apartment.
Mrs. Shabazz.
It's me, Mike.
Oh, you don't remember me?
It's, uh, Michael
Fitzpatrick from 10th grade.
Oh, yes.
Of course.
Yeah, yeah.
Qubilah didn't tell me
she was living with anyone.
Uh, no.
No, I'm, uh, just crashing
there a couple of days.
Where is she?
Hey, Mamma Betty.
Hey, baby.
How are you doing?
I brought you something.
Thank you.
BETTY Where's your mama?
I don't know.
Baby, you want to come visit
with grandma for a little?
Come on.
We can have fun together.
I want to stay with mamma.
Hey, baby, look who showed up.
Put your shirt on.
Yeah, OK.
No problem.
Hey, Mamma.
Hey, baby.
You want a drink?
You know I don't drink.
What makes you think
I was offering alcohol?
Nothing.
Nothing, honey.
I'm sorry, Mamma.
I'm happy to see you.
Hey, isn't it good
to see Mamma Betty?
Going into the other room
so we can talk a minute.
What are you doing here?
Why didn't you call?
I tried.
I wanted to let you know I
sold the place in Mount Vernon
and I'm moving into
a condo in Yonkers.
I was thinking Malcolm Jr.
Could stay with me for a while.
There's plenty of room.
Why?
Do you think I can't
take care of him?
I know you can.
You're his mamma.
It's just, you're
in between jobs.
No, I'm working at
a check cashing place.
Why are you looking
at me like that?
Not good enough for your
Princeton educated daughter?
Still so proud of me.
You know I am.
Honey, you're a
warm, sensitive soul.
I love...
I wished you'd stop saying.
It's true, baby.
I know.
That's a problem.
This model.
That's my type.
Oh, girl, look at these.
Oh, I couldn't wear those.
Why?
Too flashy?
I'd wind up on the floor.
No you won't.
Come on.
They sexy.
You afraid the men
may take notice?
Let's see.
Must be somebody... oh.
He is fine.
You think he's
fine, you wear them.
I won't, girl, please.
I can't wear those.
Why not?
I won't be able
to dance in them.
You hungry?
Mm-hmm.
Oh, I got you a new something.
It's a cosmetics big.
It's 'cause you always
carrying that plastic sack
with your lipsticks in it.
Now, you know I couldn't be seen
would you like that anymore.
I love it.
But, girlfriend, you
may as well give up now.
I'll never be able to
accessorize as well as you.
And their hair is
always perfect.
Well, it's all
about the rollers.
Poor little Malcolm.
Qubilah's been taking them
all around the country.
She just can't seem to
settle down anywhere.
She's been drinking too.
Oh.
Every time I go see her,
she says, don't worry.
I'm doing fine.
It's like I can't
reach her anymore.
And I wonder sometimes, where
that little girl I used to know
has disappeared to.
Oh, she's still in there.
It hasn't been easy for
any of our children.
It's not something
they had a hand in.
But they have paid the price.
I know.
I know.
When Malcolm was killed, he
left a path of destruction
I feel like I just
can't ever fix.
It makes me so angry, Cori.
Live from New York
City, Gabe Pressman's "Channel"
"4 News Forum" with your
host Gabe Pressman.
Today's guest,
Dr. Betty Shabazz,
widow of the controversial
civil rights figure Malcolm X.
Betty, it's good to see you.
And thank you for coming
in to speak with me.
It's my pleasure, Gabe.
You were one of the people
who were kind to my husband.
You know, I first met him
on a street corner in Harlem.
I saw his brilliance even then.
He was changing at the end
of his life, wasn't he?
Yes, he was.
That's why it makes me so
sad that he didn't have time
to communicate those changes
to the people that couldn't get
the early image of him
out of their minds.
Which brings us to the
reason for our interview.
No doubt, you've heard of
the upcoming film "Brother"
Minister."
It hasn't been
released, but I'd like
to show you a clip I managed
to obtain, if that's all right?
Yeah.
I love the Elijah Muhammad
enough that if you attacked
him, I'll kill you.
Love casts out fear.
We don't give a damn
about no White man law
when you attack what we love.
What do you got to say about it?
Did you teach Malcolm?
Did you clean up Malcolm?
Was he your traitor
or was he ours?
And if we dealt with him the way
a nation deals with a traitor,
then what the hell
business is that of yours?
Betty, do you
believe that Farrakhan
had anything to do with the
slaying of your husband?
Of course, yes.
Yes.
I mean, it was a matter of...
It was a badge of honor.
I mean, nobody kept it a secret.
Everybody talked about it.
Malcolm X is back in
the news after his widow
Betty Shabazz named Nation of
Islam leader Louis Farrakhan
as the man responsible for
her husband's assassination
30 years ago in the
Audubon Ballroom in Harlem.
Now minister Farrakhan
is fighting back.
Today, he filed a
$2.4 billion lawsuit
against the "New
York Post" for libel
after it repeated
the allegations.
Hello.
Mrs. Betty Shabazz?
Yes.
Will you accept a collect
call from Qubilah Shabazz?
Yes, of course.
Mamma.
Honey, where are you?
They said they was
going to kill them?
Kill who?
Farrakhan.
But I swear I
didn't do it, Mamma.
I didn't do it.
Honey, where are you?
Where are you?
Mamma.
Oh, baby.
Are you OK?
Just get me out of here, Mamma.
I will.
I will.
Oh, what happened?
Sit.
What's going on?
I saw what you said on TV
and how Farrakhan reacted.
I talked to Michael about
taking him out to protect you,
to keep you safe.
I got scared, Mamma.
I didn't mean for him to do it.
I said no right away.
You believe me, don't you?
Of course, I do.
They took Malcolm Jr.
Oh, no, no.
Baby, don't... it's OK.
He's with me.
Don't you worry, baby.
I'm going to do whatever it
takes to get you out of here.
You hear me?
You know me.
I love you, Qubilah.
I love you too, Mamma.
I know, baby.
Now you be strong.
It's going to be all right.
Listen to me.
I... I need you to understand...
Michael.
Michael.
How could I not want you to.
Right, well,
understand because this is
something I want to make
sure isn't just idle chat.
Michael, I have a lot at stake.
I lost my father and I'm at
risk of losing my mother.
Understand?
Do you understand?
Yeah.
Where'd they get it?
Michael Fitzpatrick.
It turns out he was
working on the FBI payroll.
Oh, my God.
She... she didn't
mean what she says.
She was set up.
We need to mount an
aggressive defense.
Stress Qubilah's
substance abuse problem.
She doesn't have
anything like that.
Betty, this is no
time to be proud.
She's facing a sentence
of up to 90 years.
You want to save her, don't you?
Yes.
Of course.
One thing working in our favor
is the tremendous outpouring
of support we're getting
from our community.
Farrakhan's people
have reached out.
He's offering to host a
fundraising effort for Qubilah.
Why would he do that?
To dispute he had anything
to do with Malcolm's death.
And show a united
front with your family.
You'd have to be there.
So you're asking
me to let Farrakhan
off the hook to save Qubilah.
The DA will never prosecute if
Farrakhan says she's innocent.
The forecast, mostly sunny
skies today with briskly...
winds.
Expect a high of 52 degrees.
All right.
Ooh!
Come in!
Oh.
Oh, my God.
It's so good to see you.
And you.
How you doing?
I'm better now.
Come on in.
Come on.
And then she walks in, Qubilah.
She looks so lost
and vulnerable.
But then all of a sudden, it
was like I could see her again.
My little girl.
All my life have been
trying to protect my kids.
And now she's in prison because
I couldn't keep my mouth shut.
All these years, I didn't want
to talk about Malcolm's death
because it...
It made it real.
And now when you
finally do, they
ask you to forgive the man that
you believe killed your husband
to save your little girl.
Cori, I don't
know if I can do it.
Oh, Betty.
Sometimes, to protect
the ones we love,
we have to do the
thing that's hardest.
Coretta was right.
Betty stood up in the Apollo
Theater beside Farrakhan.
I was there.
She spoke so powerfully.
Her speech was broadcast
into churches and mosques
across the nation.
And after that, charges
against Qubilah were dropped.
But Qubilah's personal
struggles continued.
Malcolm Jr. went
to live with Betty.
It was tough for him.
You know, like any kid, he just
wanted to be with his mother.
Here you go, honey.
Don't do that, please.
Well, aren't you going to eat?
I'm not hungry.
You got to eat something.
Look, maybe after dinner, I'll
take you bowling or something,
OK?
What would you like to do?
I want to go home to Mamma.
Sweetie, your mamma
can't take you right now.
You know that.
Why?
Because you say so.
Because
she's getting things together.
Look, I know it's not easy,
but please, try and understand.
I want to go back.
Well, you can't.
Why?
Because you can't.
I wish you could, but you can't.
Now that's just the way it is.
Now eat your food.
Oh, my... Malcolm.
Malcolm.
Hey, what are you doing?
Don't stand there.
You OK, kid?
Are you OK?
I... I saw someone
putting her on a stretcher.
Saw who?
My... my grandma.
Grandma?
She... she must have
walked down the hall coming
to look for me.
I didn't think she
was going to do that.
Come with me, kid.
Are you going to
send me home now?
It's going to be OK.
I didn't mean for a
Mamma Betty to get hurt.
We're going to look
into that, all right?
I'm sorry.
Auntie Coretta.
I don't want Mamma to go.
Oh, baby.
It's my fault.
Oh, no, no.
No, no, child.
No, no.
Talk to her.
She wants to see you.
Tell her I'm sorry.
She knows you are.
She understands everything.
I pray you're right.
Oh, God.
What have they done to you?
Oh, baby.
Can you hear me?
Oh, Betty.
It wasn't... it wasn't
the boy's fault. Tell him.
I will.
I just wish I had
a little longer.
You have time.
Plenty of time.
Hey, do you remember that
time that we went to the spa
and you wanted me to swim?
I didn't want to be
seen in a bathing suit
so got them to close the pool.
And I asked you how you did it.
And you said, girlfriend, I've
been an activist all my life.
You think I can get them to
close a pool for one hour?
Oh, we laughed so hard at that.
You teased me about my figure.
Said the men didn't know
what they were missing.
And I told you that you was the
one that was the real catch.
That was true.
You were.
Well, I've been thinking
about that time a lot lately.
And I want to do it again.
So I'm going to
look into it just
as soon as you feeling better.
But right now, you need to
rest and get well and take care
of yourself.
Because I don't
want you getting all
worn out so that you
won't be able to go.
You just let us take
care of you for a while.
OK?
Betty, hung on for 23 days
before mercifully she passed.
I saw her there.
I... I... I wasn't the only on.
Hundreds more came to visit.
Educators, celebrities,
theologians, politicians,
friends.
So many friends.
So many.
Coretta died nine years
later of ovarian cancer.
Betty and Coretta, they
embodied a spirit of service
and a dedication to the
memories of their husbands
so that their struggles
wouldn't die with them.
They faced tragedy,
but they refused
to let tragedy defeat them.
Instead, they fought
on for their children
and for the future,
for all of us.
Betty and Coretta, not
such opposites after all.
No.