Betty & Coretta

I'm probably talking about a movie you've already watched or recorded, but just in case...and because there's still time (supposed to be showing on Lifetime the entire month of February), I'm going to post about it anyway.


You've heard that saying...behind every great man, there's a great woman...and this movie is about the great women behind Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.

We never hear much about them. After all, these women were trailblazers in a time when women "belonged at home."

Betty was pregnant, with no home and no money when Malcolm was murdered--in front of her and her daughters. Most women would whither up into a ball and cry. You know what she did? Raised 6 daughters, bought a family home with the money from her husband's autobiography, got her college degree (phD), began teaching, spoke against people using her husband's name to commit violence. And oh, she had a radio show too, the first in the area that was "black-owned." Not trying to be un-politically correct, but quoting the movie.

Coretta spent the rest of her life fighting to get her husband his national holiday and speaking to empower WOMEN, not just African Americans. She was by Betty's side often. She had her home and her privacy invaded, her marriage mocked.

Had their men joined forces while alive, history may have been different. As it was, these women had no choice but to do it for them--unite under the same cause, with the same mission.

The real Martin & Coretta

They were very different...Betty thought protecting her children from Malcolm's death was the answer. She fought to shield them in every way--possibly leaving them somewhat unprepared for the real world and who they were, as we see in Malcolm's daughter throughout the movie. Coretta gathered all her children a mere four days after Martin's death and marched with thousands in the very city he was killed.

Loved this movie. Bout time the women got some recognition. Superb performances from all actresses. I also liked how the movie showed us the aftermath of death for the children--Malcolm's daughter. I appreciated that twist. My only quibble: I'd have left out the Martin messing around bit. No need to defile the man's reputation.

HUGE OMG moment: Betty's death. Very sad. I did not know that happened.

Lifetime. Set your DVRs.

Strong is Sexy Woman of the Past: Lola Rodriguez de Tio

Her name isn't bandied about much, at least not in the States, but in Puerto Rico, they know who she was.

She fought for the rights of women, slaves, the island itself, and did this often through her words.

Born in 1843, she was a bit of a renegade, even going so far as to wear short hair when that wasn't done on women.

She was a writer and so outspoken in her beliefs, much of it against the Spanish government, that they exiled her. Hey, never say the written word doesn't have power. Her poems apparently caused a ruckus. She lived in Venezuela, New York, and Cuba while her heart was still with Borginquen.

She is responsible for the revolutionary song/poem La Borinquena. I'm not sure I can post it on a blog though. The Spanish and English versions, both, can be read on Wiki.

Rumor has it that she is also responsible for the Puerto Rican flag. It was her suggestion that the island she so loved have the same colors, reversed, as the other island which adopted her: Cuba.

What I appreciate about this woman...how to say this? Normally I feature women that fly, fight in wars, work as spies...but strength and fight and passion and bravery come in many forms. You can fight with words too.

Picture was a free download.

Votes for Women

Today, I merely wish to share with you a collection of mine. I'm just fascinated by this time in our history, by the fight, the determination, the way women came together for one cause: the vote.

No matter who you vote for, don't forget you have a voice, and it wasn't easy getting there.

On that note, this is my Votes for Women postcard collection.

I still don't get the joke on the left one, bu t the right one is adorable and
they are both postmarked 1918. Cambridge Springs, Penn. *I think*

My favorite. Look at the little noose....

She ain't giving up!