A thin, homeless Black woman was being led out of a luxurious charity gala by two security guards. She glanced toward the grand piano and cried out, her voice cracking through the glittering ballroom: “Please… let me play for a plate of food!” Every head turned. The chandeliers glowed like frozen stars above the crowd, but the atmosphere shifted instantly — confusion, discomfort, disbelief sweeping through the sea of diamonds and tuxedos. Champagne flutes stopped mid-air. Conversations died in a