Betty Before X

Content Warning: This section discusses anti-Black racism. It depicts scenes of racial discrimination and racist violence.

When the story begins, it is 1945 and Betty is eleven years old, Black, and living in Detroit. Her pre-teen years are complicated by the era, the color of her skin, and her relationship with Ollie Mae, her biological mother. Betty is a fictional representation of Betty Shabazz, who was born as Betty Dean Sanders and would later be known as Betty X. Betty is kind, compassionate, playful, intelligent, and curious. However, most of the positive aspects of her identity are things that people have said to her, not things she knows about herself. For instance, Mrs. Malloy “is always saying I have a lot of compassion” (202). Whenever she greets Betty at church, she says, “Baby, do you know how beautiful you are?” (23). Fannie Mae calls Betty a gift. Her siblings adore her, which leads Betty to describe herself as a good big sister.

However, Betty is confused and hurt that her mother won’t show her as much affection as her other siblings. She assumes that it is her fault. As a child, Betty’s default is to wonder what she has done to deserve the treatment she receives, rather than questioning whether the people who mistreat her are in the wrong.