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Missouri girl prompts Merriam-Webster to update dictionary entry on ‘racism’
In her letter, Mitchum reasoned that the current definition of ‘racism’ stands little for what is currently happening across the world and is inadequate.
Twenty-two-year-old Drake University graduate Kennedy Mitchum had little idea that her email to Merriam-Webster dictionary will prompt the company to update its entry on the word ‘racism’.
According to reports, Mitchell who is a person of colour and hails from Florissant, Missouri, US, wrote to the company last month and was shocked to get a reply stating that the dictionary entry will be updated accordingly.
Merriam-Webster’s first dictionary definition of ‘racism’ goes like, “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”. In her letter, Mitchum reasoned that the current definition stands little for what is currently happening across the world and is inadequate. She received an email the very next morning with an assurance that the latest definition is being drafted and will be updated soon.
“It’s not just disliking someone because of their race,” she said in her email.
Also read: Black Lives Matter - protesters heartened by swift reform, but vow broader change
Drake University tweeted a screenshot of the email that Mitchum received from Merriam-Webster in response to her query.
“We have concluded that omitting any mention of the systemic aspect of racism promotes a certain viewpoint in itself. It also does a disservice to readers of all race,” the email read.
It added, “the use of the word racism to specifically describe racial prejudice combined with systemic oppression is now so common, ignoring this meaning of the word may leave our readers confused and misled”.
This comes at a time when the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis has sparked protests across the globe.
George Floyd’s death on May 25 after a policeman knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes was the latest in a string of killings of African-American men and women by police that has sparked anger on America’s streets and fresh calls for reforms
