The Merriam-Webster Dictionary revised its definition of racism after a Missouri woman's emails claimed it fell short of including the systemic oppression of certain groups of people. Kennedy Mitchum, who recently graduated with a degree in law, politics and society, said people would argue with her about the definition of racism. She realized the problem was in the Merriam-Webster dictionary: "It's not just disliking someone because of their race.... Lives are at stake because of the systems of oppression that go hand-in-hand with racism," Mitchum wrote. The online dictionary's first definition of the "racism" is "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." Its new, second definition "is divided to express, first, explicit institutional bias against people because of their race, and, second, a broader implicit bias that can also result in an asymmetrical power structure," the Associated Press reports via ABC News.
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