Alexis Ohanian Sr., the co-founder of online platform, Reddit, took to his Twitter to announce that he will be stepping down from Reddit’s board of directors. Upon his departure, Ohanian has requested that he be replaced by a Black candidate.
Along with his resignation, Ohanian has vowed to use his future gains from his Reddit stock to support the Black community. Ohanian will start with a $1 million pledge to Know Your Rights Camp, a free campaign funded by Colin Kaepernick to raise awareness about youth self-empowerment and interaction with law enforcement.
I've resigned as a member of the reddit board, I have urged them to fill my seat with a black candidate, + I will use future gains on my Reddit stock to serve the black community, chiefly to curb racial hate, and I’m starting with a pledge of $1M to @kaepernick7’s @yourrightscamp
— AlexisOhanian7️⃣7️⃣6️⃣ (@alexisohanian) June 5, 2020
Ohanian’s move comes on the heels of controversy around Reddit’s CEO, Steve Huffman’s failure to take a stance against racism and some of the platform’s subreddit communities like “The Donald.”
According to Vox, former Reddit CEO, Ellen Pao, stepped down after a difference in opinion on company growth. Pao took to her Twitter to call out Reddit on their stance in the fight against racial injustice.
I am obligated to call you out: You should have shut down the_donald instead of amplifying it and its hate, racism, and violence. So much of what is happening now lies at your feet. You don't get to say BLM when reddit nurtures and monetizes white supremacy and hate all day long https://t.co/VN5XCiYp5g
— Ellen K. Pao (@ekp) June 2, 2020
Ohanian said his latest move is to “curb racial hate” and he urges people to keep pushing for change.
“I believe resignation can actually be an act of leadership from people in power right now. To everyone fighting to fix our broken nation: do not stop,” he said in a blog post.
