By Benny Schaft
March 18, 2026

In early March, videographer Sunny Singh of hate5six.com, an independent live music documentation and media platform, recorded a conversation with revolutionary writer and journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal on the importance of Franz Fanon. Currently serving a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, Mumia is a political prisoner falsely charged with murdering a police officer, despite being proved both factually innocent and legally not guilty. In the interview between comrades Mumia and Sunny Singh, the two discuss everything from Fanon (the subject of the PhD dissertation Mumia is now writing) to the current events and crises caused by the ruling class.

In the early portion of their conversation, the two discuss the life and works of Franz Fanon, the author of “The Wretched of the Earth” and “Black Skin, White Masks.” Mumia talked about Fanon’s early years as both a soldier and medical student and the often blunt, truth-telling nature of Fanon’s writings. Mumia describes Fanon as someone who “relies on truth to transform consciousness.” However Mumia makes a distinction between the two books, noting that in “Black Skin, White Masks” Fanon was still influenced by colonial ideology, but in “The Wretched of the Earth” Fanon held nothing back and completely rejected colonialism.

Singh and Abu-Jamal talked about the importance of reading Fanon, especially for revolutionaries and people of color. Mumia described how, as a new member of the Black Panther Party, he along with others were required to read Fanon’s work. He also mentioned how Black Panther Party leaders Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale read Fanon, with Newton reading “The Wretched of the Earth” six times.

The conversation shifted to current events, including the role of artificial intelligence (AI) and the material conditions affecting the working class today. This included the capitalist class removing its mask of false democracy and showing on full display its fascism and repression. Comrade Mumia explained precisely how AI is being used by the ruling class as one of its tools to exploit the working class, with the ultimate goal of replacing workers with machines. As Mumia stated, the aim is “becoming transhuman by using AI to try to inculcate human consciousness.”

Mumia also addressed how the armed wing of the state is becoming increasingly militarized and how politicians have either enabled this or become completely out of touch with what is happening on the ground. He spoke on the repression of the people and how militarization has been used to intimidate and discourage people from organizing. He also raised the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, whose deaths, as Mumia made clear, were meant to frighten the people into submission.

Of course, this brings us to the most important question: Why does this interview matter? It is vital, because in just 30 minutes, comrade Mumia is able to clearly explain both the current crisis we find ourselves in and the significance of Fanon who, as both Mumia Abu-Jamal and Sunny Singh noted, was able in his short 36 years of life to explain exactly how the structure we live under works.

Specifically, Fanon addressed how the capitalist system operates through the constant demonization and dehumanization of the oppressed. Mumia noted how this tactic is applied directly to the treatment of immigrants in this country, by the ruling class within the imperial belly of the beast and to the people of the Global South.

Overall the interview conducted by hate5six with comrade Mumia Abu-Jamal perfectly explains how the actions of the capitalist class have led us to this moment. As its lackeys desperately attempt to justify the crimes of the system they love, it becomes clearer than ever that the only way out across the world is through the establishment of a dictatorship of the proletariat and people power. And the only way to get there is by educating and organizing the people.

Watch the full interview at the hate5six channel on YouTube.