In 1976 — together with fellow founders Ellen Pence, Sharon Rice Vaughn, Kenyari Bellfield and Mary Pat Brygger — we opened the third battered-women's shelter in the country, the Harriet Tubman Women's Shelter, right here in Minneapolis. I was working as a probation and parole officer at the time, and I talked to many women who were victims of domestic violence, lived in fear and had nowhere to go. I couldn't believe that this would not have an impact on their lives. Something needed to be done. The time was right, and Harriet Tubman's Underground Railroad was the inspiration for us to act.

This year marks the shelter's 40th anniversary. The Tubman of today brings together the groundbreaking work done by four predecessor organizations: the ElderCare Rights Alliance (1972), the Chrysalis A Center for Women (1974), the Harriet Tubman Women's Shelter (1976) and the Family Violence Network (1982).

For 40 years, Tubman has been leading the way to hope by building awareness, breaking down barriers, sheltering women and families, motivating changes in laws, fighting for the rights of seniors, educating young people, raising consciousness, clarifying the causes, and helping our community recognize the broad implications of violence.

In the 1950s, domestic violence was viewed as a private, family problem. In the '60s, it was a "women's problem." Against the backdrop of the civil rights and women's movements, underground networks began providing safe places for victims, and the first shelters opened in the '70s along, with hospital advocacy programs and support groups for victims and their children.

The '80s brought changes in response by law enforcement and the courts, orders for protection, and batterer intervention programs. In the '90s, we launched school-based violence prevention programs, transitional housing, career and financial education and restorative justice practices, and we made our address known so victims didn't have to hide in the shadows.

In the 2000s, we took community education and prevention a step further with widespread public service announcements and increased access through technology. And in this decade, community conversation has begun about sexually exploited young people and the intersection among domestic violence, sexual abuse and sex trafficking, elder abuse, child abuse, and other forms of oppression.

We've come a long way in 40 years, but we still have a long way to go. Women, men, seniors and young people still are being physically, sexually, emotionally and financially abused at alarming rates. In 2015, there were at least 34 known homicides related to domestic violence in Minnesota: 22 women were killed by a current or former intimate partner; three men were killed by a current or former intimate partner, and nine friends, interveners, bystanders, and family members were killed. This is not acceptable!

What can we do? Whatever we can. Volunteer for a domestic violence program. Lend our voices at the Legislature. Participate in a donation drive for diapers, career clothing or gas cards. Contribute financially at any level — large or small.

Or simply listen to our inner voice when it tells us to say: "Something's not right here." Begin to see the signs of domestic violence. Stop worrying about offending the people you care about, take a deep breath and say, "I care about you. Are you safe at home?" We don't have to have the answers, we simply need to let people know that they're not alone and that there are places that can help. Speak up when a friend makes degrading comments or treats their loved ones without respect. Raise our daughters and our sons to be strong and sensitive in equal measure.

I am proud to have been a part of a group of people who understood that the name of Harriet Tubman was powerful and that her life and legacy could serve as inspiration to help women escape domestic violence and live without fear. The decision of the U.S. Treasury to put her image on the $20 bill affirms the power and significance of her legacy for our nation. I applaud their choice.

We've made dramatic progress in the past 40 years — just think what can be accomplished in the next 40. Visit tubman.org to learn more about how you can get help or give help.

Sharon Sayles Belton was mayor of Minneapolis from 1994 until 2001.