Tennis superstar Serena Williams, one of the greatest athletes of our time, is getting married.
But instead of tweeting out the good news to her 7.5 million followers or posting it on Facebook for her 5 million fans, she made a poetic announcement about her engagement to the Reddit thread I said yes:
I came home
A little late
Someone had a bag packed for me
And a carriage awaited
Destination: Rome
To escort me to my very own “charming”
Back to where our stars first collided
And now it was full circle
At the same table we first met by chance
This time he made it not by chance
But by choice
Down on one knee
He said 4 words
And
Ohanian and Williams’ Snoos with a big rock.
Her fiancé is Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, who responded to the announcement on the thread, saying, “And you made me the happiest man on the planet.” He illustrated the moment with Snoo versions of himself and Williams. (For the uninitiated, a snoo is Reddit’s alien mascot with an antenna coming out of the middle of their head and orange eyes—like the site’s logo.)
The 35-year-old US Open champion and the 33-year-old “mayor of the internet” were first reported to be dating in October 2015.
Her engagement announcement is Williams’ only post so far on “the front page of the internet.” (Whether you find her announcement romantic or cheesy, at least she chose the right platform: Last year, when actress Miranda Kerr got engaged to Snapchat’s Evan Spiegel, she made the awkward mistake of breaking the news on the competing social media platform Instagram.)
While most of the response has been congratulatory, some people pointed out that that Williams, an inspiring African-American icon, is marrying a white tech bro—and one who co-founded a site that has become notorious for fostering racism and misogyny. Ohanian has not condoned these aspects of Reddit, and he has worked with many charities, including the social investment organization Kiva and the nonprofit Black Girls Code. Unlike other Silicon Valley leaders, with ambitious promises of making the world a better place, the Brooklyn-born techie’s motto is to “make the world suck less.”
Low key hurt that Serena Williams is engaged to a white man… she’s so black power and black love 🤔😩
— it’s Ma-cu-cu (@_heartofaQueen) December 30, 2016
Serena Williams is engaged to the man who created a platform (reddit) for angry white dudes lmao
— TLW™ (@TheLarryWilson) December 30, 2016
But others have condemned the outcry, instead touting the match as a win for racial harmony.
Why are people so mad that Serena Williams is engaged to a White Man? Why does his skin color matter? Y’all complain about everything 😂
— Jeremy Nicolls (@JeremyNicolls) December 30, 2016
Everybody is dragging Serena Williams for being engaged to a white man…y’all it’s 2016. Interracial love is a thing okay.
— Joey Tatts⚜ (@TheJoeyWay) December 29, 2016
Psst. People who say @serenawilliams can’t marry a white man are one of the reasons why racism exists. Get a grip. Love sees no colour.
— Simeon Todorov (@simo_e_pich) December 30, 2016
Williams, who has faced outright racism and sexism as one of the world’s top athletes, also drew some trolls’ wrath with her personal announcement. Twitter users suggested that Williams found herself a “rich white guy” to marry—a ridiculous suggestion. Ohanian may be a tech star with a slew of investments, but the sporting legend has him beat: Ohanian’s net worth is reportedly $4.5 million, while Williams’ is $150 million.
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