A Slice of Women’s History: The Two Passionate Women behind the Second Domestic Violence Shelter in Hennepin County

Happy Women’s History Month! We take this month to recognize the achievements and history of all the women that have come before us.  At Sojourner, countless women have contributed to our mission over the years, but today we’d like to highlight two significant women: our founding Mothers, Jenny Arimond and Kitty Alcott.  Both were deeply compassionate women who knew the importance of advocating for social change, laying the foundation for the work we continue today.  

Meet Jenny Arimond 

Born in Minnesota and a longtime resident of Hopkins, Jenny Arimond was known for being deeply concerned and active within issues of human rights. She was the first woman elected to the Hopkins City council and worked as a social worker tutoring at-risk students. She also lobbied for the creation of a public park in Hopkins, where she now has a memorial here. 

Meet Kitty Alcott 

Kitty, also a longtime resident of Hopkins, worked locally as a pharmacist and was recognized with the Distinguished Pharmacist Award from the University of Minnesota. She helped secure funding for Sojourner’s shelter and was on Sojourner’s board for many years.  Kitty’s sharpness and leadership were pivotal in securing  initial funding for our shelter.   

Creating a Safe Space 

After getting involved in the ‘battered women’s movement’ (‘battered women’ was the term used at the time, but now we use the terms victim or survivor of domestic violence), Jenny and Kitty found that there was a significant gap in support for domestic violence victims in Hopkins and the western suburbs of Minneapolis. Starting in 1977, they gathered supporters, educated the public, and lobbied for support, determined to change attitudes about domestic violence as a private matter and bring the issue into the public sphere. From the start, Sojourner Project (then known as the Hopkin’s project), was grassroots organized, with Jenny and Kitty at the helm.  

Finally, in 1978, Kitty prepared a proposal for the Hopkins City Council

requesting approval and funding for a battered women’s program in Hopkins. Included in her proposal, were statistics on survivors in Hopkins (at the time it was estimated that 2–4 million women were beaten in their homes annually) and she garnered support from St. Josephs, Hennepin County, the Hopkins Interchurch Council, and West Hennepin Human Services Council. Approval and funding were secured, and Hopkins Project, Inc. began  officially serving domestic violence survivors in 1979.

(Gender Violence Stats) 

Carrying Their Legacy Forward 

Since then, almost 50 years after our founding, we continue to answer crisis calls, we continue to house women and children in our shelter, we continue advocating for survivors in the court system, and we continue teaching our young people that violence is never okay. We honor the achievements of our founding mothers, and we are deeply grateful for their commitment to creating a space of safety and healing for survivors of domestic violence. We uphold their legacy by continuing to advocate for the elimination of violence in our community through the work we do every day.