Midmorning With Aundrea - 06/12/20 (Part 2)

We take a look at a conversation with a Reddit co-founder and what steps he's taking to contribute to the fight against racism.

Plus our friend Sunny reads The Big Hungry Bear.

You may have heard of reddit.

It's a very large, very active online community.

Reddit is divided into areas of interest with millions of people contributing ideas and content.

Now, one of reddit's founders is revealing how áheá plans to contribute to the fight against racism.

Alexis ohanian is the father of a two- year- old daughter with his wife, serena williams. he resigned from reddit's board of directors last week, and urged the board to replace him with a black candidate.

He also promised to donate future gains on his reddit stock to initiatives that support the black community.

Here's his conversation with gayle king.

I didn't arrive at this easily.

It was-- it was absolutely a hard decision.

// but thinking back, especially on the position our country's been in, and then especially in the last few weeks --i realized i needed to look at myself, look in the mirror and see what i could do to-- to help contribute some real positive change so that -- i could look my daughter in the eye // when she's a little bit older-- and she asks me what i did-//to help make this country and this world a little bit better for her-- and for-- for a whole lot of people who look like her.

Track 1: tech entrepreneur, alexis ohanian co- founded the popular social sharing website reddit, back in 2005.

He has served as executive chairman since 2015.

Track 2: ohanian is married to tennis superstar serena williams. they are parents an adorable two year old daughter, olympia.

Fatherhood played a big role in his decision to resign from reddit's board and his request to be replaced by a black candidate.

00:09:53 i'm struck, you just said it was a hard decision.

//what was the hardest thing about it for you?

You know, reddit was my first child.

I started it right outta college.

// i was a kid who walked out of an lsat to go to a waffle house and decided he wanted to become an entrepreneur.// but looking inward// it was a hard decision until it was a really easy one.

// when i remembered that my greatest creation is not and never will be reddit, it's my daughter.

And i want her to be proud of her father.

Well, you've certainly done that.

And i will say, listen, you-- your-- your skill set is vast, including braiding your daughter's hair.

Every time i see that picture, it just makes me smile.

That's growth.

And i-- and i think // whether it's-- whether it's learning how to braid my daughter's beautiful hair, or whether it is-- it is growing to accept my own blind spots mindset-- is so important.

Track 3: yesterday, reddit got the message and added tech ceo michael seibel to the board.

But couldn't you have, if you'd wanted to, just said, "we're goin to add a black person to the board"?

Did yo have to step down?

I think there is something symbolic about someone in my position stepping aside as a way to say, // we're not just going to make sure that-- that you have a seat at the table.

I'm gonna give up my seat so that you can have it.

//i do believe in in what that represents.

//and i hope it makes board rooms all across the country look around the table and say, "who-- wh are we serving?

Who is our community?"

Track 4: ohanian says more diversity is in the best interest of reddit, and the tech industry more broadly.

Reddit has faced criticism because hate speech has not been moderated in the message boards on the platform.

But ohanian's venture capital company, initialized, has been investing in new startups that will target hate online.

I think if we follow this drumbeat of support-- both offline and online, i think we're gonna see more and more-- // tech businesses in particular taking more responsibility over not just the content on their platforms-- but also the diversity of their workforces.

As you know, there are very few black faces in the boardroom.

So you thought about that too?

// and your own experience, alexis, in a board room?

There's this striking double standard because i have never walked in a room and not felt 100% confident to be there.

Not felt 100% welcomed there, at times when i really shouldn't have been-- because of my inexperience or because of my youth or whatever.

But that is the privilege that i have walked my entire life.

// there are things that i do that my wife checks me on that i am doing with the best of intentions-- but still, require me to-- to feel that pain// and then dig deeper.

I'm wondering, what does she help you see that you didn't see before?

There are situations where i default expect to be heard because all of my life when i bring something up, i'm generally in a position where someone is going to hear me, take my side and trust what i have to say.

And i take that for granted.

// it's not until i am, you know, talking to my wife about things that i really understand that that is not a luxury she has had.// do you think that you would've come away-- around to this way of thinking if you had not been with serena in particular?

I would love to say yes.

But-- to see-- look, to have a front row seat to her, not just her greatness, but everything she has to endure, much of it that never gets reported on, that-- that no one sees, right?

// that made the education come really quickly.

// especially when this is someone you love but alexis, as you know, nobody likes to be called out.

People get very defensive// that seems to be changing, but-- i-- i think it is.

It is changing.// that discomfort that we feel physically when we push ourselves to go further is something that-- that we usually embrace, right?

We know that that's where growth happens.

That's where muscles are tearing just a little bit so they regrow stronger.

These conversations are that same kind of exercise.

Th-- that same kind of discomfort for our brains and for our souls.// because at the end of the day, if what we're asking is privileged white people to be able to feel a little bit of discomfort to have a hard conversation, that's-- it's a very reasonable ask.

A look at the march and message - from those on the frontlines.

In communities across the country, we have seen thousands of people marching and rallying- in the name of justice and equality.

There was a march last saturday in my hometown of starkville.

It was a peaceful, powerful display of unity.

And it made me proud.

I couldn't help myself.

I pulled out my phone and started capturing some memorable sights and sounds.

Take a look.

No script available no script available finally this morning - it is a favorite with so many parents and children.

In case you missed it earlier this spring, today on stories with sunny, our friend hellen polk and her grandson john parker davis read the big hungry bear by doa and aundrea wood.

Hellen "sunny polk: the little mouse, the red ripe strawberry, and the big hungry bear.

Hellen "sunny polk: hello, little mouse.

What are you doing?

Oh, i see.

Are you going to pick that red ripe strawberry?

But little mouse, haven't you heard about the big hungry bear?

Oh, how that bear loves red ripe strawberries.

The big hungry bear can smell a red ripe strawberry a mile away, especially one that has just been picked.

Hellen "sunny polk: boom, boom, boom.

The bear will tromp through the forest on his big hungry feet and sniff, sniff, sniff, find that strawberry no matter where it is hidden or who is guarding it or how it is disguised.

Hellen "sunny polk: quick, there's only one way in the whole wide world to save a red ripe strawberry from the big hungry bear: cut it in two and share half with me and we'll both eat it all up.

Yum.

Now, that's one red ripe strawberry the big hungry bear will never get.

That's the