On June 26, Vice President Biden, whose most famous contribution is his authorship of the landmark Violence Against Women Act, announced the appointment of a White House Advisor on Violence Against Women, Lynn Rosenthal. The official press release states: "This is a newly created position at the White House, dedicated specifically to advising the President and Vice President on domestic violence and sexual assault issues."

 Rosenthal has been a powerful advocate of securing housing and economic stability as protection against domestic violence. Her most recent experience was as the Executive Director of the New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence and she worked extensively in Florida, meaning she's had direct association with the sizable Chicana, Latina and immigrant women populations in those states who have been victims of violence.

 The White House has also made another strong move in terms of Violence Against Women by including funds for programs that address these issues in the Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009. From the DOJ Website: "The OVW announced more than $120 million in Recovery Act awards to states and state coalitions to support comprehensive strategies addressing violence against women. The STOP (Services, Training, Officers, Prosecutors) Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program (STOP Program) supports a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach to stopping and responding to crimes of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking."

The appointment of Rosenthal and the funds from the Recovery Act create an opportunity for the administration to see the intersection of violence against women with race, immigration, poverty and other factors that leave women vulnerable, particularly women of color. This holistic approach could become a model for tackling other issues that might otherwise ignore the plight of women of color or other minorities.