Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian resigns from board and urges his seat to be filled by Black candidate

As the momentum surrounding Black Lives Matter continues to grow, celebrities and change-makers around the globe are rising to the occasion to show their support in various, meaningful ways. From donations to peaceful protests, petitions, and calls to action across social media, this week has proved instrumental in the continued push to end systemic racism.

And now, Alexis Ohanian is showing his support by resigning as a member of Reddit’s board with the specific hope of making room for a Black candidate.

Ohanian, who is husband to tennis pro Serena Williams, co-founded the social network 15 years ago. In a recent blog post, the 37-year-old entrepreneur explained that he started the company with the intention of “helping people find community and a sense of belonging.” He went on to say, “It is long overdue to do the right thing. I’m doing this for me, for my family, and for my country. I’m writing this as a father who needs to be able to answer his black daughter when she asks: ‘What did you do?’”

I co-founded @reddit 15 years ago to help people find community and a sense of belonging.⁰

It is long overdue to do the right thing. I’m doing this for me, for my family, and for my country.— Alexis Ohanian Sr. ? (@alexisohanian) June 5, 2020

Ohanian and Williams are parents to 2-year-old Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. Further expanding on his decision to step down, Ohanian took to Twitter to say, "I have urged them to fill my seat with a black candidate."

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The co-founder also noted that he will use future gains on his company stock to invest back into the Black community, in an effort to “curb racial hate." Quickly acting on his promise, Ohanian pledged $1M to Colin Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp. “To everyone fighting to fix our broken nation," he urged, “do not stop."

Wow.

This is a courageous example of the kind of material actions and commitments allies can make - shout out for walking the walk, @alexisohanian. https://t.co/Ku94GI04SY— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 5, 2020

Ohanian's resignation was met with mostly open arms, but some detractors criticized his lack of action when it comes to Reddit's issue with hate speech, anti-trans forums and Gamergate.

Can whoever takes over Reddit PLEASE finally shut down the Gamergate subreddit?

History will not be kind to @alexisohanian’s legacy on women’s rights. https://t.co/JgysSKYrrF— Brianna #blacklivesmatter Wu (@BriannaWu) June 5, 2020

On June 4, Selena Gomez and Lady Gaga also looked to leverage their platforms, beyond monetary donations, in order to continue the momentum of the BLM movement and help amplify the voices of Black leaders.

To do this, both stars are giving over their Instagram channels (each with notable followings; Gaga has 42.1M and Gomez has 178M) to highlight influential leaders in the Black community and allowing those voices to speak directly to the important issues at the heart of the anti-racist movement.[video_embed id='1972001']Selena Gomez having Black leaders take over her Instagram[/video_embed]