My name is Paul “Kali” Hickman. I’ve been incarcerated since 1976 (five decades). From the young age of 19. Like so many other captives before and after me, I too became politically enlightened inside America’s oppressive prisons.2
I felt the need to address the current reality of today, and that reality is “Fascism”. If others would remove the rose-color-tinted glasses, we will see the harsh reality of what is transpiring here in the Twenty-first century, in North America and abroad.
Fascism has always appeared throughout history. It has culminated with the present U.S. government under President Donald Trump. Let’s take a look around the U.S. and the globe, but first, what is the accurate definition of Fascism?
“The doctrines, methods, or movement of a system of government characterized by a rigid one-party dictatorship, forcible suppression of opposition, private economic enterprise under centralized governmental control, belligerent nationalism, racism, and militarism, etc.”(Webster’s New World College Dictionary)3
Webster’s hit the nail on its head. The current capitalist imperialist system has shown its true identity, utilizing open terror and violence in the poor working-class communities of color from every corner of the country. Trampling on the civil and human rights the poor and oppressed have fought so hard for decades ago.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and their fascist lackeys have been riding down on men, women, and children with impunity! Particularly migrants and those with various ideological outlooks and religious convictions. Not too long ago, fascist President Trump began deploying federal police forces from over a dozen agencies to different cities. Then, shortly after June 26, 2025 [sic], he signed an “executive order” under the pretext of:
Trump’s fascist deployment teams, organized by the Department of Homeland Security, consist of, according to The New York Times, 2,000 agents from:
“Customs and Border Protection”,
“Immigration and Customs Enforcement”,
the “Transportation Security Administration of the Coast Guard”.5
We all know the heavily armed federal police forces —authorized and deployed by Trump—invaded Portland, California, Texas, Chicago, D.C., Philadelphia, PA, New York, etc. Nothing but a standing army of fascists for the White House officials and Trump. “They are the real fascists and terrorists”… not the poor and oppressed communities of people of color standing up for their civil and human rights.
The poor and oppressed working class are not the ones organizing terror groups of Gestapos to be deployed throughout U.S. cities to arrest, kidnap, and detain others.
Are not the ones dragging people out of their homes, cars, jobs, nor assaulting, intimidating, or threatening others with physical harm. Are not the ones shooting and murdering others.
Are not the ones using tear gas, acoustic weapons, rubber bullets, live bullets, flashbangs, or wearing camouflage clothing to conceal their identity? No, not at all.
Under President Trump’s watch, the National Guards and Immigration Custom Enforcement agents (ICE) resorted to: “mass deportation”.
Over 30 more have died in ICE custody since 2025, and that’s not counting the dehumanizing conditions the men, women, and children must endure in illegal detention.6
Specifically, not receiving adequate food, shelter, clothing, hygiene, Medicare, and the mental and psychological aspects of being separated from family members, and the feeling of loneliness and despair of not being reunited with your mother, father, brothers, sister, or other loved ones!!!
The framed up charges on the “Prairieland defendants” for organizing a noise demonstration in solidarity with immigrants held in the Prairieland ICE detention warehouse in Alvarado, Texas.
Also, the Quakertown PA students that walked out of their school to protest the actions of “ICE agents” were attacked by the town’s police chief —Scott McElvee, who was not in uniform nor did he identify himself!!8
It’s no surprise that Trump cannot organize among his own constituents without rivalry and chaos. Which has led to gerrymandering and constant firing and hiring, and political chicanery.
If all that is not enough, what about his Imperialist war crimes?: Direct military strike on Venezuela. The kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Celia Flores.
Also the U.S. terrorist missile attack on Iran, located in southern Iran, that resulted in killing almost 200 girls and teachers out of school.9
Then on February 28, 2026, the fascist military, the U.S. and their Zionist ally —Israel, assassinated Iran’s supreme leader “Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei”, and his family members.
Now the military threat of dominating Cuba, Iran, Greenland, Canada, Venezuela, etc.
Donald Trump is, along with his capitalist/imperialist lackeys, the real culprit criminals and fascists. His social, political, economic, and environmental policies and practices have also been a disaster!!
“America’s hypocrisy at work.”
We were all taught in our social study(ies) class that all this interesting stuff about: “checks and balances”.
“Congress”.
“War Powers Acts”.
“United Nations”.
“U.S. Constitution”.
“Bill of Rights”.
“International Court of Justice”.
“Genocide”.
“Geneva Conventions”.
“International Human Rights Accords”.
What happen?
It’s no surprise that of Sept. 2023, 123 nations were state parties to the “Rome Statute” of the ICC. China, Russia, and the United States were among those countries that have not yet signed or ratified the treaty.
(ICC) – The Rome Statute: its mission is to try individuals accused of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, which in the past the statute was undertaken by temporary tribunals. The statute came into force July 1st, 2022.
Worth mentioning, “Time” [sic] reporting does not show that ICE has a standardized agency-wide psychological screenings on sensitivity implicit-bias training program for its agents.10Times coverage highlights training shortfalls, and compressed curriculum. And notes use of force guidance — but it does not report routine trauma-informed cultural competency or universal implicit bias training for ICE agents.
Also, Times reports: shorten basic training from 13 weeks to 6 weeks to speed up deployments. And they describe those changes as reducing legal and operational preparation rather than alarming learning how to approach, communicate, and humanly treat others they come into contact with.
No person is exactly the same. We are among people in society with their own unique personality (ies) and mental health issues. Plus, no matter what side of the law you are on, our society, our communities, is riddled with decades and century(ies) of social ills —such as hatemongers, racists, prejudice, evilness, and many other sorts of deep-seated psychological problems… And racism and fascism has its roots in the slave system and colonialism.
You/we would think the ICE agents should/would make psychological and sensitivity training their “Top Priority”! This clearly shows their whole disregards for the welfare of people’s lives.
“Another miscarriage of justice”!!!
All that has transpired throughout the U.S. and abroad, are repeated injuries and usurpations for the purpose of establishing absolute tyranny over all states, and foreign lands. We must keep it real… President Trump is no better than the old oppressive tyrant of the British Crown we separated from; On July 4, 1776.
The Black Panther Party organized to fight fascism in America after organizing the 1969 United Front Against Fascism Conference, the BPP created the National Committee to Combat Fascism (NCCF). The NCCF helped stop them. President helped stop helped to stop then—President Richard Nixon’s attempt to create a presidential dictatorship and helped slow the spread of fascism in that time.
No matter what race, nationality, gender, ideology, philosophy, religion, or cultural background, all human rights activists must do their work during a dangerous time when America faces a stronger surge of fascist dictatorship.
This threat has been bolstered by the Republican Party’s support of Project 2025 and by a June 2024 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court granting the President of the United States immunity from all criminal acts while in office.
This ruling creates a presidential transition project, is a over 900-page manifesto created by the conservative Heritage Foundation, proposing that the president of the United States can take control of the government, making Congress and the courts subservient branches of government (source reference Driven by the Moment, JoNina Abron-Ervin). 11
We all know what Trump meant about “making America great again”!!!
Not only is the Trump administration trying to rewrite history and whitewash everything to his twisted, narcissistic, fascist ways. He also—given the chance—will without a doubt try to eradicate the decades-long arduous struggles of the oppressed masses that made significant civil and human rights gains. Donald Trump nor any U.S. president can downplay history or erase it. Our paramount advantage, we, the common people, have over the naysayers, “Is the truth”. We do not have to fabricate or lie about anything.
The dehumanizing and very cruel period of the slave trade, slavery, Jim Crow lynchings, black codes, KKK terror campaigns, segregation, genocidal wars against the Native Americans, etc. is very much 100% true. We all need to know the raw, authentic facts of history. No disguises or watered-down accounts.
Malcolm X said it best: “We need to know the past, the present, to righteously move on into the future”. 12
The “No King’s” March/rally across all 50 states and elsewhere to protest the fascist direction of the U.S. government is going is a beautiful sight to see. You must continue to be relentless and pursue anti-fascist authoritarian organizing.
Unlike Trump and his racist, narrow-minded way of thinking; America has never been great… How can it be so?
America has a very dark and criminally cruel history, as we all know. From the land that was stolen, dominated, stained by bloodshed.
As the late Howard Zinn once stated: “There is not a flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people “.13
When we think of the “No Kings” march, etc., we must be mindful of the fact that we need principled political support from also, international allies. As from Germany where more than 50,000 youth throughout Germany joined the second national school strike on March 5, 2026, to protest against impending compulsory military service.14In 140 cities. German youth reject conscription threat: As the government is now attempting to mobilize the working class for war against Russia, have looked toward reinstating military draft, we must reach out and work in solidarity with the German youth to denounce all capitalist/imperialist wars! In the 1960s, 70s, etc., the end of the draft was due largely to the revolutionary resistance carried out by the working class youth who were a leading force in the anti-war movement.
6/16/1918, The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and its leader Eugene Debs once stated: “The master class has always declared the wars. The subject class has always fought the battles”. “The subject class has had nothing to gain and all to lose, especially their lives”.15
In years past: We have all learned the history of the South and the history in cities around the country. The masses of poor people came together for a revolutionary cause in opposition to the government policies and practice and the one-sided laws. The groups, coalitions, organizations, and volunteers across the color lines, from towns and cities around the U.S. showed their love and solidarity and participation in sit-ins, freedom rides, riots, mass civil disobedience, long demonstration rallies, strikes, and marches up against the water hoses, dogs, bullets, rocks, police brutality, national guards, KKK insults, lynchings, imprisonments, intimidation, etc.
The civil/human rights movement, Black Power organization, had also had principled political support — allies. The Black Panther Party had many Panther formations:
Puerto Ricans (the Young Lords).
The Chicano/Mexico/Indigenous (The Brown Berets)
Asians (I War Kuen)
Euro-Americans (Young Patriot Party and White Panther Party)
and even the elderly (Gray Panthers)
Out of it all, many gains were won. Also acquired volumes of knowledge and experiences. Which also means consciousness will grow as a result of feeding it.
Through all the sacrifices, we learned one politically enlightened fact:
the executive branch,
the legislative branch,
the judicial branch,
“Did not wake up one day and decide to issue out civil and human rights”.
No, not at all. It has taken decades and decades of persistent revolutionary struggles. People of all walks of life, millions and millions throughout our history…
Employed, unemployed, men, women, young, old, students, skilled, unskilled, every race, sex, nationality, straight, gay, religion, ideology, philosophy, etc.
Took all the efforts of the “masses” in their strategies, tactics, experiences, and political education, and mobilization to stand up and confront their powers that be that produce the significant gains they needed.
To continue this revolutionary journey into the future, just remember: We all share a common interest, whether others realize it or not. That is — We the working class share common oppression, common injustices, common oppressors; the same common objectives…
peace, justice, equality; life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness!!!
The late Frederick Douglass expresses a powerful truth to encourage us to keep moving forward!!
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. The struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, or it may be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did, and it never will.”16
Author’s address: SBI 00136991 Paul Hickman, Delaware, DOC-1101 PO Box 96777, Las Vegas, Nevada 89193.
Thank you all for your freedom struggles and dedication. “Each one, teach one”. Paul “Kali” Hickman 07/01/2026
[[Editor’s Note]] – The text that follows has been faithfully reproduced as close as possible to the author’s original written work. In order to preserve the author’s original voice as much as possible, I have decided not to make alterations to the content of the essay other than some correction of spelling mistakes. Spelling mistakes that have been corrected aid in the reading experience and do not detract from the rest of the content. I have also supplied references for some of the author’s claims; I have attempted to include the most likely sources that the author had access to as accurately as possible.
References
1. Fanon, Frantz. The Wretched of the Earth. Translated by Richard Philcox. New York: Grove Press, 2022.
By Paul “Kali” Hickman “Each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill it, or betray it.” Frantz Fanon, Wretched of the Earth.1 Greeting to all, My name is Paul “Kali” Hickman. I’ve been incarcerated since 1976 (five decades). From the young age of 19. Like so many other captives before and after…
Have any extra thoughts?