![]() ![]() Inspired by Betty’s real life–but expanded upon and fictionalized through collaboration with novelist Renée Watson–Ilyasah Shabazz illuminates four poignant years in her mother’s childhood with this book, painting an inspiring portrait of a girl overcoming the challenges of self-acceptance and belonging that will resonate with young readers today. Soon, the American civil rights icon we now know as Dr. Betty quickly finds confidence and purpose in volunteering for the Housewives League, an organization that supports black-owned businesses. The singing, the preaching, the speeches from guest activists like Paul Robeson and Thurgood Marshall stir African Americans in her community to stand up for their rights. Church helps those worries fade, if only for a little while. She believes her mother loves her, but she can’t shake the feeling that her mother doesn’t want her. In Detroit, 1945, eleven-year-old Betty’s house doesn’t quite feel like home. One of their daughters, Ilyasah Shabazz, is the co-author of the middle-grade book about Betty Shabazz called Betty Before X. ![]() ![]() Much like Coretta Scott King, after the death of her husband, Shabazz worked not only to continue on her husband’s fight, safeguard his legacy from inaccurate portrayals, but also raise their six children. Betty Shabazz (born Betty Dean Sanders) may be known to some as simply the wife of Malcolm X, but to reduce her to that belies a legacy all her own. ![]()
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