This reminds me of a story told about when an organization I used to volunteers at was founded, decades before my time. They were debating what issues to work on. Like many orgs with the Alinksy model, many people were proposing some neighborhood improvements like stop signs
or better sewer drains. Poorer members were advocating for reforms to make the safety net stronger - food stamp reform to be specific. One of the VISTA volunteers then said, we can't make food stamps better, because then people won't support the revolution.
Now, I was not there and this story was told to me by a very progressive nun who was, but the organization was founded by a priest, a rabbi, and a minister, so it had a pastoral element to its leadership...anyway, all the staff were VISTA volunteers and they began lecturing
members about the importance of accelerating the differences to advance the true transformation, that petty reforms like food stamps just postponed justice. They were saying this to the membership of low-income folks who were the people proposing food stamp reform.
Sadly the organization became mostly white and middle-class. When I became prez, I remembered that story and one of our first campaigns was food stamp reform...achieved by focusing our membership recruitment in low-income areas.
