Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian said Friday that he has resigned from the company’s board of directors and has asked that a black candidate be appointed in his place.
Mr. Ohanian, who is white, announced his departure as the racially charged killing of George Floyd sparks protests against police brutality and systemic racism and prompts fresh calls for equality.
“It is long overdue to do the right thing. I’m doing this for me, for my family and for my country,” Mr. Ohanian said in a statement. “I’m saying this as a father who needs to be able to answer his black daughter when she asks: ’What did you do?’ “
Mr. Ohanian, 37, co-founded the Reddit website in 2004. He later married tennis star Serena Williams, who is black, and they have a young daughter who was born in November 2017.
Fifteen years since launching Reddit, its popular discussion forms covering seemingly all topics have made it among the most visited websites in the U.S. and the world. Condé Nast Publications acquired Reddit in 2006, and it subsequently became an independent subsidiary of the publishing giant’s parent company in 2011.
In addition to resigning from the board of directors of Reddit and urging its remaining members to replace him with a black candidate, Mr. Ohanian said he would use future gains made from his stock in the company to serve the black community and curb racial hate, beginning with donating $1 million to the “Know Your Rights Camp” launched by football player and activist Colin Kaepernick.
“I believe resignation can actually be an act of leadership from people in power right now,” Mr. Ohanian added. “To everyone fighting to fix our broken nation: Do not stop.”
Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died May 25 after being forcefully restrained by several members of the Minneapolis Police Department, triggering protests and demonstrations in the U.S. and abroad. Four officers have since been fired and criminally charged in connection with his killing, which has been ruled a homicide by authorities in Minnesota.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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