Merriam-Webster To Update Definition Of ‘Racism’ After Receiving Complaint
Image via Sharaf Maksumov / Shutterstock.com
22-year-old Kennedy Mitchum requested Merriam-Webster to update its definition of the word “racism” following the passing of George Floyd, who was killed in the custody of four Minneapolis cops.
“With everything going on, I think it’s important everyone is on the same page,” Mitchum told television channel KMOV-TV.
The recent graduate of Drake University was inclined to address the 189-year-old company after having discussions with people about racism and injustice, who pointed to the dictionary’s definition to dismiss her explanations and concerns.
Merriam-Webster’s first definition of racism was “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.”
However, Mitchum felt that the statement simplified the implications of racism. She also claimed that the definition could be easily used by people to disregard the ongoing racial unrest in the US.
Mitchum contacted the company and demanded a change in the definition to highlight racial inequality, as well as systematic oppression.
“It’s not just ‘I don't like someone,’ it’s a system of oppression for a certain group of people,” Mitchum explained to the station.
Editor of Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Alex Chambers, responded to Mitchum by apologizing for the “harm and offence” caused by the dictionary’s present definition, per the New York Post. “I will see to it that the entry for racism is given the attention it sorely needs,” Chambers emphasized in his email.
The dictionary’s current second definition of the term “racism” reads, “explicit institutional bias against people because of their race, and, second, a broader implicit bias that can also result in an asymmetrical power structure.”
Chambers stated that the second definition could be more useful to shed light on systematic injustice due to racism, but he promised that there will be a revised version in the coming months.
[via The New York Post, cover image via Sharaf Maksumov / Shutterstock.com]
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