The co-founder of Reddit is stepping down in an effort to 'do the right thing.'
Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian says it's "long overdue to do the right thing."
Serena Williams' husband, who is the father of her 2-year-old daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., announced on Friday that he is giving up his seat on the board of the company he started in hopes that they will fill his seat with a black candidate.
"I co-founded @reddit 15 years ago to help people find community and a sense of belonging. It is long overdue to do the right thing. I’m doing this for me, for my family, and for my country," he captioned a video on Instagram of him explaining his decision. "I’m saying this as a father who needs to be able to answer his black daughter when she asks: 'What did you do?' I have resigned as a member of the Reddit board, I have urged them to fill my seat with a black candidate."
That's not all Ohanian is doing in support of Black Lives Matter. "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 $1 million to @kaepernick7’s @yourrightscamp," he announced. "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."
"Having diverse views on any boards is important," Williams shared on Twitter, following the announcement. "So proud of you Alexis. I know Olympia will be too."
Ohanian co-founded Reddit in 2005, and his net worth is estimated at $70 million, according to Forbes last year. Williams has yet to respond to her husband's recent news.
Prior to his announcement, Ohanian shared several posts in support of Black Lives Matter as the country and world protest the untimely death of George Floyd and police brutality. Floyd was a 46-year-old black man who died after a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, pressed his knee into Floyd's neck for more than eight minutes.
Here's a look at how other celebrities are speaking up, stepping out and giving back to the BLM movement.
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