The Black Klansman: Why Black Activist Sixx King Dons His KKK Robes

African-American activist and film director Sixx King has taken to the streets of Philadelphia dressed in a KKK robe to highlight an often under-reported topic: interracial violence within the black community.

Using a symbol of hate to provoke people and educate them about violence among black people, King walked the streets holding a sign which read: "The KKK killed 3,446 blacks in 86 years. Black on black murders surpass that number every six months."

According to King, many black on black violence victims were children. And this is what led him to take a stance.

"As a father I would never want to experience the tragedy that has been a reality for so many African-American parents," King told IBTimes UK.

"I wanted to re-shock the pulse of the black community to take action and remember where we came from and where we are now, and the sacrifices of those who came before us.

"Most folks got it and others didn't but if I only reached one person then it's a well done job," he continued.

According to the FBI, the number of black people who were murdered in 2011 totalled 7,000.

"If a small country in Africa loses 7,000 [people] a year, it would be considered genocide," King said.

"The world would assume that these killings are associated with gangs and drugs but 95% are just random killings which make the problem more baffling and harder to combat."

King has released a documentary, Mothers of No Tomorrow, which sheds light on the journey black mothers make when their children are victims of interracial violence.

The documentary, personally funded by King, reveals that African-American men accounted for more than 50% of the homicide victims in 2010.

According to the US Department of Justice, in just one year, black on black homicides surpassed the combined number of deaths of US soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001.

"It was a film that had to be made," said King.

He has written an open letter to black America, urging the African-American community to end "apathy and complacency".

"When a white man shoots an unarmed black man we yell injustice, but when a black shoots an unarmed black man we remain silent," he said.

King also urged the NRA ( National Rifle Association of America) to "take corrective action to secure the safety of our children. To make sure that the nightmare of the Sandy Hook tragedy or the innocence of a fifteen year old honor student in Chicago never play out again."