Community activist Emília Llorca gets a street named after her in Barceloneta
The Barceloneta neighbourhood lost an important community figure in 2009. Twelve years on, the name of Emíla Llorca is now honoured in Barcelona’s street name index as the former Carrer de l’Almirall Aixada becomes Carrer d’Emília Llorca Martín.
‘Emiliona’, as she was popularly known, spent her life promoting associations in the neighbourhood. From the festival commission for her home street of Carrer dels Pescadors, she helped organise and re-establish festivities such as the Burial of the Sardine and the Chestnut Fest. Yet over time she started to get more involved in the issues which affected local people in the neighbourhood.
From one community struggle to another, Emília Llorca played a key role in setting up the local residents’ platform Associació de Veïns de l’Òstia in 2005, created to tackle property speculation which was driving local people out of the neighbourhood. Mobilisation was also a key factor in stopping the Lift Plan, approved in 2007.
Emília Llorca died on 8 December 2009.
More women’s street names to mark the Republican Spring
The inaugural ceremony for Carrer d’Emília Llorca Martín formed part of the Republican Spring, which this year marks the 90th anniversary of the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic. The programme runs from 13 to 18 April, with activities to celebrate the values of republicanism in the city.
The changes to street names represent another step in the municipal strategy to give greater public visibility to women who have left their mark on the city.
