This time last week, few Americans had ever heard of Department of Agriculture official Shirley Sherrod. Now she is a household name in households that actually follow the news.

A few days ago, Sherrod was forced to resign by the Obama administration for admitting that more than 20 years ago – as an administrator in Georgia – she did not treat a white farmer as fairly as she would have treated a black farmer. Her admission came as part of a speech she made before the NAACP in March. Sherrod is black.