Today’s Google Doodle, September 24, is dedicated to ‘s 122nd birthday Giovanna Boccalini BarcelonaItalian educator and activist for women’s rights at the beginning of the 20th century.
Giovanna Boccalini Barcellona was born in Lodi on this day in 1901. She studied pedagogy at the Scuola Normale Femminile and then became a primary school teacher. As an educator, Boccalini Barcellona worked to introduce reforms that aimed to provide girls and women with greater access to resources and opportunities. While teaching, she also joined the Società Generale Operaia di Mutuo Soccorso of Lodi and discovered her passion for social and political activism. Her most notable legacy was the foundation of the first women’s football team of the country, the GFC (Women’s Football Group). «This act has undoubtedly broken down gender barriers in a period in which official sports were played mainly by men – writes Google -. Boccalini Barcellona’s work not only empowered women to pursue athletic pursuits, but she also challenged stereotypes about women’s abilities and interests».
After the war Giovanna Boccalini Barcellona actively participated in the National Liberation Committee and was elected councilor to the Municipality of Milan. She also became vice president of the CGIL Inca patronage and INPS, continuing to work for women’s rights for over a decade in Rome. «She was also one of the founding members of the Women’s Defense and Freedom Fighters Assistance Groups, an organization committed to the equality and emancipation of women – concludes her short Google biography. Boccalini Barcellona’s inspiring contributions to women’s education, rights and equality have left a lasting impact on Italian society.”