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Osei Gabriel

A year ago

HEARD OF THE NEWSPAPER BOYS OF JULY 18, 1899

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A year ago



On July 18, 1899, a group of newspaper boys in Long Island City, Queens, New York, made a startling discovery. They found that a supplier was providing them with fewer newspapers in their bundles than they had initially purchased from distribution centers. This sparked outrage among the young news carriers, and they decided to take matters into their own hands.


In response to this supplier's deception, the incensed newspaper boys overturned his cart, forced him to leave town, and either destroyed or pilfered all his newspapers. News of this rebellion quickly spread to Manhattan, where other newsboys were already disgruntled due to the high costs of purchasing bundles of papers from publishers William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer.


The following day, a massive gathering of newsies converged in City Hall Park, uniting to form a union. They elected 18-year-old Louis "Kid Blink" Baletti as their president and jointly decided to initiate a city-wide strike. Their primary demand was a reduction in the price of papers they had to buy, and against all odds, these determined young boys achieved victory in their fight for fair pricing.


Kid Blink was known as an appealing kid. He happened to have one eye and on the other was an eye patch (was blind in one eye). Kid Blink's real name was Louis Ballatt. Blink was known as the leader of the Newsboys during the strike. 


Sources guessed that Kid Blink was about 13 or 14 years old. Kid Blink was more powerful than you think. He shut down the news to all of New York City. With him, were thousands of other Newsboys joined together as one to strike against the two most powerful men in New York, Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst. 


Now back then, newspapers were the only media in New York. So taking away the newspapers was like taking out New York’s internet, radio, and TV access. All they would leave were smoke signals and tin can phones in their place. 


However, he didn't stop there. Kid Blink also staged various rallies on the Brooklyn Bridge. He organized the rallies with resources that were available to the homeless kids. Now, Kid Blink knew that Pulitzer and Hearst were not going to back down and let some nobody kids win. However, the Newsboys did not back down and stood their ground. Until Pulitzer and Hearst finally backed down and gave the Newsboys what they wanted. Therefore, Kid Blink went down in history as one of the most amazing, and shockingly powerful kids in history.


The legacy of the 1899 newsboys' strike extended far beyond their immediate demands for lower newspaper prices. This powerful movement played a pivotal role in influencing child labor laws. In the wake of their successful strike, there was a growing awareness of the need to protect the rights and well-being of working children. 


The newsboys became a symbol of the broader fight for child labor reform, leaving an indelible mark on the history of labor rights.


Moreover, the impact of these young activists wasn't confined to New York. Their strike inspired newsboys around the world. Newsboys in various countries, facing similar challenges, were emboldened by the success of the New York newsboys' movement and started organizing their strikes and protests. The 1899 newsboys' strike became a symbol of youth empowerment, resonating with young newspaper vendors globally who shared in the pursuit of justice.


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