Thank you for this fresh view on an old debate. At the beginning of the 20th Century this was framed as "boring from within" versus "boring from without" strategies. Following my Grandmother, I have chosen the "boring from within" strategy.

My maternal grandparents were both anarchist revolutionaries. My Grandfather was sent to Siberia by the Czar for his participation in the 1905 Russian Revolt. My Grandmother became an early activist in the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU).

While boring from without in revolutionary groups sounds more pure and direct, I believe the starting point is the immediate needs of people. So I became a lawyer representing unions (including the ILGWU until it was merged-out), individual and groups of workers.

For over four decades I've been "boring from within" by working with existing organizations meeting immediate needs of people - getting paid, getting healthcare, being free from harassment and discrimination, staying alive and raising a family - while trying to point out the connections to the larger struggle. This has not been easy, and perhaps all my work has not accomplished anything.

But I still have hope for boring-from-within, while pointing the way towards broader solidarity. One organization I work with which embodies this effort and gives me hope is the Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance (KIWA). I urge you to check them out at: https://kiwa.org/