She is not alone. Like many women of color across the nation right now, the recession makes their already precarious position even more tenuous, especially for those who suffer at the hands of an abusive spouse or partner. Losing a job, falling behind on monthly mortgage or rent payments, and timing out on welfare cash assistance is another form of structural violence in women of color’s lives, compounding the violence in the home.

The Applied Research Center recently traveled across this country to gather stories such as Maria’s, from Nogales, Arizona to Providence, Rhode Island and New Orleans, Louisiana to New York City, to write a report Race and Recession (released today) on the racial impact of this recession on communities of color. Experiences varied but one common denominator remained the same: people of color experience the effects of the recession disproportionately.

Like Maria, we are all victims of the violence that this economic downturn wreaks upon our lives. Read the report for more of Maria’s experience and other people’s stories. But, more importantly, read it for strategies on how we can collectively fight back and stop the violence of unemployment, poverty, and foreclosures from devastating our communities.