diff --git a/r2/r2/config/routing.py b/r2/r2/config/routing.py
index 60e9b2671..96cde1fca 100644
--- a/r2/r2/config/routing.py
+++ b/r2/r2/config/routing.py
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ def make_map():
 
     mc('/about/message/:where', controller='message', action='listing')
     mc('/about/log', controller='front', action='moderationlog')
+    mc('/about/sidebar', controller='front', action='sidebar')
     mc('/about', controller='front', action='about')
     mc('/about/:location', controller='front', action='editreddit',
        location='about')
diff --git a/r2/r2/controllers/front.py b/r2/r2/controllers/front.py
index 404e765eb..0e6aca96c 100755
--- a/r2/r2/controllers/front.py
+++ b/r2/r2/controllers/front.py
@@ -692,6 +692,11 @@ class FrontController(RedditController, OAuth2ResourceController):
             return self.abort404()
         return Reddit(content = Wrapped(c.site)).render()
 
+    @require_oauth2_scope("read")
+    def GET_sidebar(self):
+        usertext = UserText(c.site, c.site.description)
+        return Reddit(content=usertext).render()
+
     def GET_awards(self):
         """The awards page."""
         return BoringPage(_("awards"), content = UserAwards()).render()
diff --git a/r2/r2/lib/jsontemplates.py b/r2/r2/lib/jsontemplates.py
index bf1aa84e0..10ba6be51 100755
--- a/r2/r2/lib/jsontemplates.py
+++ b/r2/r2/lib/jsontemplates.py
@@ -213,6 +213,7 @@ class SubredditJsonTemplate(ThingJsonTemplate):
                                                 url          = "path",
                                                 over18       = "over_18",
                                                 description  = "description",
+                                                description_html = "description_html",
                                                 public_description = "public_description",
                                                 display_name = "name",
                                                 header_img   = "header",
@@ -229,6 +230,8 @@ class SubredditJsonTemplate(ThingJsonTemplate):
         # Don't return accounts_active counts in /reddits
         elif (attr == "accounts_active" and isinstance(c.site, SubSR)):
             return None
+        elif attr == 'description_html':
+            return safemarkdown(thing.description)
         else:
             return ThingJsonTemplate.thing_attr(self, thing, attr)