Merriam-Webster Dictionary To Change Its Definition Of The Word ‘Racism’
MERRIAM-WEBSTER DICTIONARY – The Merriam-Webster dictionary will change its definition of the word ‘racism’.
According to GMA News, this was suggested by a black woman, who wanted the term to better reflect the oppression of people of color.
Kennedy Mitchum, who is a graduate of Drake University in Iowa, contacted the dictionary to propose updating the word.
“I basically told them that they need to include that there’s a systematic oppression upon a group of people,”
“It’s not just, ‘Oh, I don’t like someone.'”
Merriam-Webster has long published its dictionaries since the year 1847.
The dictionary firm’s editorial manager Peter Sokolowski recently confirmed that there will be an update to the definition of ‘racism’ after Mitchum’s suggestion.
There are three definitions of ‘racism’. Its second definition touches on Mitchum’s point. The firm said that they will make the definition even more clear in their next release.
The current second definition of racism is as follows:
- a doctrine or political program based on the assumption of racism and designed to execute its principles,
- a political or social system founded on racism.
“This is the kind of continuous revision that is part of the work of keeping the dictionary up to date, based on rigorous criteria and research we employ in order to describe the language as it is actually used,”
Based on the report one of the editors told Mitchum that that the definitions of other words akin to racism or have racial connotations would also be updated. Those terms are undisclosed.
“We apologize for the harm and offense we have caused in failing to address this issue sooner,”
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