Maria Goia 1878-1924
She was one of the protagonists of political and social issues in the early 1900s and took an active part in the founding of trade unions and cooperative organisations.
She was also the national director of PSI (Italian Socialist Party) and was always in the front line of battle for the emancipation of women, especially in political circles in a moment in which women were tied to a subordinate role.
In 1911 she became the Secretary of the Socialist Congress in Modena, where the basis of a programme for a universal suffragette movement and improvement of assistance and working conditions was made.
In 1914 Maria Goia gave a decisive speech at the National Congress of the PSI, but it was especially after the war that she returned to Cervia to become politically active once again taking on the position of Secretary of the Trade Unions Council from 1919 to 1921.
In that period she was considered by the local fascists as one the persons "to keep an eye on". It became impossible for her to continue her political and trade union activities when she became seriously ill, she died on 15th October 1924.
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