The sense of being different was particularly sharp while working on Madison's east side, she writes.

“I cashier at a local grocery cooperative, where I stand in a small box and am gawked at by small white children for eight hours at a time … I stand in my small box and watch as almost exclusively white people swarm around me, pushing each other to get to the organic juices. Sometimes, when I'm bored, I watch all the co-op customers until I see a black one. Sometimes that game lasts more than an hour, or until I have a panic attack.”

No one seems to notice how isolated she sometimes is, writes Debevec-McKenney.

“It's easy to ignore a problem like race in Madison — especially on the east side. From what I've gathered, being a progressive/liberal when it comes to Scott Walker and buying organic food and bringing your own canvas bags is enough,” she muses.

While she knows her big “awesome” afro sets her apart, Debevec-McKenney says she wouldn’t think of giving it up. Despite its strange effect on white people.