Amnau Eele, Black Artists Assoc.Co-Founder, Gets Death Threats Over Recent Criticism of Michelle Obama Inaugural Attire Not Made by a Black Designer

I have been watching this story play out from the sidelines and now I want to give my two cents, if you will. According to WWD, Black Artists Association co-founder Amnau Eele has received death threats in response to her public criticism of Michelle Obama for not wearing an African-American designer clothes to the inauguration. She told the magazine, “We don’t represent designers, we represent painters. We spoke up for black designers because we felt it was the right thing to do.” So, I guess Michelle Obama should automatically have worn a dress by a black designer because somehow, that’s the right thing to do. I guess their thinking is that she owes blacks that much, right? Wrong. She is free to wear the dress from the designers of her choice, no matter their race.

As you will recall, the Michelle Obama fashion backlash begun after the inauguration. The Black Artists Association publicly chided the First Lady for not wearing an African-American designer during any of the inaugural festivities. On inauguration day, Obama wore Cuban-American designer Isabel Toledo, and at night she wore a gown by Taiwan-born designer Jason Wu. BAA’s founder Amnau Eele, a former model, told WWD:

“It’s fine and good if you want to be all ‘Kumbaya’ and ‘We Are the World’ by representing all different countries. But if you are going to have Isabel Toledo do the inauguration dress, and Jason Wu do the evening gown, why not have Kevan Hall, B Michael, Stephen Burrows or any of the other black designers do something too?” Eele said.

My parting words to Amnau Eele is to get a grip on reality and see that whose designs Mrs. Obama wears are her decisions and not yours. The expectation that because she is black she needs to wear garments designed by blacks is preposterous. She should not be forced to give up the right to choose her clothes. If this group is questioning Mrs. Obama’s blackness, they are barking up the wrong tree. Have you forgotten how Mrs. Obama’s patriotism was brought into question by the Republicans?

Filed under: Amnau Eele, Black Designer, First Lady Michelle Obama