Transcript
A Missouri woman says Merriam-Webster will update its definition of the word ‘racism’ based on her request.
Kennedy Mitchum is a 22-year-old recent college graduate.
She says recent conversations about race she’s had with people since the death of George Floyd sparked the idea to email the dictionary publisher last month.
Mitchum says the dictionary’s current definition is inadequate and that it overlooks broader issues of racial inequality.
Right now Merriam-Webster defines racism as “a belief that race is a primary determination of human traits and capacities, and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.”
Mitchum says she kept getting into little feuds with people who tried to disprove that she was experiencing racism.
They were using the dictionary’s definition to make their point.
So Mitchum began her email campaign to Merriam-Webster saying their definition was misinforming people.
Her emails led to a response from the editor followed by a promise to update the definition.
In fact the editor told Mitchum the revision would not be happening without her persistence.
Officials say previously there had been constraints on having to fit shorter definitions into print editions.
But that is no longer the case now because more users are accessing Merriam-Webster online.
Editors could not give an exact date but said the revision should be expected in the coming months.
Posted – 6.13.20