Howard County Native, Reddit Co-Founder Alexis Ohanian Resigns From Board, Asks Seat Be Filled With Black Candidate
SAN FRANCISCO, Cal. (WJZ) -- Howard County native and co-founder of Reddit, Alexis Ohanian, announced Friday that he is resigning from the board of the company.
Ohanian said he has urged board members to fill his seat with a black candidate. He posted his message to Facebook.
"It is long overdue to do the right thing. I'm doing this for me, for my family and for my country," Ohanian said. "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 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," Ohanian added.
He said he co-founded Reddit 15 years ago to help people find community and a sense of belonging.
"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," Ohanian said.