Following the devastating event that took place in Minneapolis, the Black Lives Matter movement has been surging through the U.S., and protests continue to take place. As a show of solidarity and to take a stand to support this cause, Alexis Ohanian, co-founder and board member of Reddit, has handed in his resignation.
Ohanian is married to world-famous tennis player Serena Williams, who is in full support of his decision. He stated that he has urged the other Reddit board members to hand his seat over to a black person instead. His announcing blog post stated that his actions were for his daughter Olympia Ohanian, for when she asks him "What did you do?".
The resignation announcement from the former executive chairman of the Reddit board stated:
"I have resigned as a member of the reddit board, I have urged them to fill my seat with a black candidate, and 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 Colin Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp."
As seen above, Ohanian will donate all of his future earnings from his stock in Reddit. The proceeds will be dedicated to the betterment of the black community and to combat racism. He also promised an initial donation of $1 million to Know Your Rights Camp, an organisation committed to improving the lives of communities of color.
Ohanian attributed his decision to give up a position at the board as one that he made for himself, his family, and his country. Towards the end of the open letter, he also went on to urge others in similarly powerful positions to make such moves as a show of leadership.
Image Source: Alexis Ohanian