Charting the Course: A Stroll Through the History of Alexandra House

1977 1978
A group of concerned
citizens formed the Anoka
County Task Force for
Battered Women (ACT).
The Probable Cause Arrest
Act became law in MN,
permitting warrantless
arrest of abusers.
In MN, information related
to the personal history of
battered women using
shelters was classifi ed as
private data.
The Minnesota Coalition
for Battered Women
(MCBW) was founded.
The National Coalition
Against Sexual Assault
was formed.
How It All Began...
The concept for forming the Anoka County Task Force for Battered Women came out of a
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six week series of workshops led by the Social Concerns Committee of St. Timothy’s Catholic
Church, in early 1976. During one of these meetings, Lexi Selvig heard Jeff Janacek, a
Columbia Heights Police Officer, speak about the number of women and families he
witnessed in Anoka County struggling to leave their abusers. Upon learning that there
were women and children who were not safe in their own homes, she decided she had
to do something about it. Mary Zagaros, another attendee of these meetings, readily
volunteered to help. Lexi and Mary reached out to Margaret Langfeld, who was on the
Blaine City Council at that time, to be a member of the group. This small group, with Lexi
as the lead, started by writing letters to local community and women’s groups, asking
them to get involved. One of the letters went to the Jaycees of Blaine, where Sharon
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(Coleman) Lawrence was a member. She was intrigued and agreed to join forces with Lexi,
Mary, and Margaret.
In the early days, the women of the Anoka County Task Force for Battered Women would huddle
around Lexi’s kitchen table, where they discussed the mission, purpose, and vision for the newly
formed group. Much of the philosophy that the organization was originally built upon was gleaned
from two books in particular: Battered Wives by Del Martin and Codependent No More by Melody
Beattie. Later, the Task Force was able to obtain office space at the Spring Lake Park City Hall. 1) Incorporation Certificate, August 2, 1977.
2) Logo for the Anoka County Task Force
for Battered Women, used until 1980.
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