The mixed-method study examined welfare-reliant, female heads of households and the multilayered and persistent barriers they face in their attempts to obtain employment to sustain their families. The 30 respondents, aged 25-34, were African Americans and Latinas receiving various forms of public assistance and were plagued by a host of serious problems. The African American respondents were native-born American citizens who spoke only English, and almost all the Latina respondents spoke only Spanish and were born in South or Central America, Cuba, or the West Indies. A higher level of interpersonal violence was reported among the African American cohort. There were other strong contrasts between the cohorts, including the mean number of children, educational level, work experience, and type of housing. The theoretical framework for the study was liberationist feminist social work practice. The results revealed an alarming array of simultaneously occurring ''metastressors'' that are complex, comprehensive, suffocating to many respondents, and more difficult to resolve over time.The study challenges the assumptions on which the Temporary Assistance for Need Families operates, including its political origins and its current regulations that mandate time limits on assistance in spite of persistent national economic problems. The issue of intersectionality is explored in relation to gender and racial oppression in the United States and in terms of promoting positive social change among oppressed groups. KeywordsAfrican American women, economic justice, intersectionality, Latina women, women in poverty More than 15 years ago, U.S. society began experiencing the most radical change in social policy since President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal responded to the economic crisis of the early 1930s. The New Deal resulted in the creation of a minimum safety net for low-income and impoverished Americans. As part of the Social Security Act of 1935, the federal government created Aid

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Guidelines on preparedness for pandemics include purchasingextra non-perishable foods, water, first aid kits, and other items to keep ready for the type of occasion we are currently experiencing [5].

The African American experience is grounded in a strong religious tradition that does not adequately address sexual violence against women. This chapter offers perspective on how religiously-motivated heterocentric-patriarchy marginalizes Black female sexual trauma survivors. Recommendations are informed by Black feminisms in order to support culturally congruent practice. These interventions emphasize Black women's lived experience, raise awareness of multilevel oppression, and foster the empowerment of Black women. Basic treatment considerations for African American female trauma survivors and their support systems are provided.