Like most, the above headlines piqued my interest. Curious, I read the original article that launched the perceived firestorm, the Women's Wear Daily, and found myself becoming annoyed. Coincidentally, I was working on a re-write of an op-ed for a newspaper and since I wanted to include an example, this seemed to be the perfect storm. The blog attached to the Huffington Post version of the story was filled with sarcasm, anger, outrage, indignant overtures, exasperation, along with the usual suspects who hide behind their computers spewing their venomous racism.

Who was Amnau Eele and what was this Black Artists Association anyway? Why did their point of view rate interest from WWD and the Chicago Sun Times? It didn't add up. I searched the Internet for information about this organization, asked around among visual fine artists I knew, to find out why the opinion of this particular African American organization was deemed important enough to gain attention from WWD. Could not find it, there was no 501C3 certification and they were not incorporated in the state of New York, not even a website. All of the normal trappings one expects of an organization that had the clout to gain the attention of three primary media outlets. This organization had none. Well, who was Amanu Eele? Why was her point of view attention worthy? By the Monday night, the comments online had become meaner, with some reaching self-determined conclusions, judgments of both the person and the organization, and - as happens still - with African Americans in general, since many still believe that one person speaks for all, when it comes to African America. But then there was still something that bothered me about this story. Yes, the First Lady's choice of designers is not even on the scale in comparison to the economic landslide this country was struggling to survive, along with global unrest and environmental concerns. But to me this was not so much about the players as it was about the play. As much as I could tell, this was the opinion of one person, not a celebrity, not a fashion designer, was not really a known artist. So it was really about the play, namely, the media. This is a perfect example of a false story, a term coined for stories manipulated by journalists to create controversy and outrage. Controversy has become the gold standard that today's media is mining. Controversy is rewarded by more visibility for the journalist, never mind the effect on the subject of the controversy.

I acquired contact information for Eele, and left a message. To my surprise she called. It was Tuesday and there were new additions to the story; highlighting the fact that she had been threatened because of the story in WWD. I believe in objectivity when searching for the truth, otherwise it's harder to see when bias obstructs the view. Here is what I found: the Black Artists Association is a group of painters, none of whom are fashion designers. The group has been around since 1996 and is self supported in its mission. It is a community outreach organization that is completely focused on aiding the homeless, the underserved, the displaced and most importantly, the youth." We paint secondary artwork to pay bills or for what we do. We are simple, there is nothing to hide," said Eele. They have their own version of social enterprise, selling books and other paraphernalia throughout the day, and use the money raised to purchase Metro cards, food, whatever is needed by those they serve on the streets of New York City. "We are an underground organization and we like it that way," says Amanu. "I have had my twenty minutes of fame and I am not interested in being in the public eye." stated the former runway model. "We don't have websites, and we have no need to be a corporation. We call people when we need them to buy a coat for a person or help them get a job. I don't want anyone to ever ask what we did with their money, so we don't ask anyone for it. .I use my own money and do what I need to do to help." "I have been accosted on the street as a result of the article, which I hadn't even read," said Amnau. "People just assumed that I was disrespecting First Lady Obama and that cannot be further from the truth." "I have the utmost respect for the First Lady and all that she has accomplished. I just have the point of view that, for the young ones who are struggling to find their way, they needed to see her in support of the African American designers. They are not on the runways during fashion week. Now we deal with the young every day. I just wanted to get some attention given to the African American designers by First Lady Obama, since she is the ultimate role model right now. I don't give phone interviews, yours is one of the very few, because I would rather e-mail answers to questions and not have my words changed.' Eele continues, "It's more important to us that the truth is written and spoken. And we can use that free time to do what we do everyday, feed homeless people, pass out metro cards to them, help young kids attending schools get computers, art supplies, coats, jobs." Amnau had to leave our interview because it was time to distribute the metro cards and the line was already forming. She did want me to read the e-mails she'd sent to WWD and to the Chicago Sun Times. She said no other publication had contacted her, even though they ran stories. "You'll see that I never, ever would have disrespected First Lady Obama by saying anything like "Kumbaya" or "We Are The World" or "This was our moment." or any of those comments in Women's Wear Daily." "When I found out what the article said, I asked the writer at Women's Wear Daily, [Rosemary Feitelberg], why did she do that?" "Black Artists Association does not represent designers, we represent painters only. oil on canvas. In fact, my husband is upset with me because all of this is a distraction from our role in the community; we represent painters, not fashion designers. We help a lot of artists whose work is labeled "outsider art" to find shelter and jobs in NYC. Many of these artists are sent to HAI, an organization that helps outsider artists in NYC. We also help other artists to find work in the art world - TV and Indie film industry as art directors - set designers, prop masters etc....BAA does not speak for anyone except our organization." "First Lady Obama is not obligated to support any designer, no matter the color. "We applaud her choice of including non-African-American designers like Isabel Toledo and Jason Wu for many of her White House functions. Both are very talented designers. We also thank Ms. Toledo and Mr. Wu for booking African-American models for their runway shows before Mrs. Obama entered the White House. But as a former couture model who has watched non-black designers ignore qualified black talent for years, it's sad to see some of those same designers line up to dress the new first lady of America while many young talented black designers face losing their studios and homes. That was my point." "Now I have this interview with Nightline on ABC and heard from CNN and then I will go back to doing what we do, because we are helping people. We are not interested in any more interviews."

Amnau invited me to come see her when I am in New York and walk with her for a day and see what she is trying to impact. Amnau became emotional, feeling overwhelmed by the increased number of homeless and displaced, wanting to provide more emotional and physical support than they are physically able to give, yet the Eeles are not deterred from trying. "I have three teeth I lost when we were in Miami helping homeless un-documented Haitian refugees, artists who hid under bridges in Miami . I was punched in the face, beaten because we were there helping them. I did not get them replaced because, for me, it is my badge of honor for what we did there." "I believe that we, my husband and I, are doing what God intended for us."

Author's note: 'We hold as the arbiters of truth, those who have lied to us the most.' -- Dr.Amos Wilson. This story is not about the story. This is about human behavior, the media and how fiction can easily become fact if the media source is deemed credible and the subject is an unknown. Amnau Elle's life journey is an interesting one, there is certainly more to her than what most will ever hear about. What I personally took from this experience is none of us should rush to judgment and allow perceptions we are offered to replace reality, just because we think the information source can be trusted. Now, more than ever, truth has to become the new gold standard, if we are to ever affect real change.

E. Joyce Moore is a writer and author of Ramblings Through the Attic of Thought.