Merriam-Webster changes their definition of 'racism' after 22-year-old asks them to

Merriam-Webster has agreed to change the definition of "racism" after a 22-year-old black woman from Missouri sent an email to the publishing company's editors last week.

Kennedy Mitchum—a recent graduate from Drake University—said that arguments with others about the definition of "racism" made her realize that she does not agree with the way the term is defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary, according to the Daily Caller.

The primary definition of the word in Merriam-Webster's online dictionary defines "racism" as "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."

Mitchum insisted that the current definition is too simple and superficial. "It's not just 'I don't like someone,' it's a system of oppression for a certain group of people," she said.

Mitchum sent an email to the company's editors after a few emails were sent back and forth, and Merriam-Webster editor Alex Chambers agreed and said that a revision to the entry under "racism" is now being drafted.

Mitchum screen-shotted the email in a Facebook post on June 4, adding that "any victory feels great right now."

In the company's response, Chambers thanked Mitchum for the repeated attempts to get the definition changed. “We sincerely thank you for repeatedly writing in and apologize for the harm and offense we have caused in failing to address the issue sooner. I will see to it that the entry for racism is given the attention it sorely needs,” he said in an email.

Editor-at-large Peter Sokolowski shared with CNN that the dictionary's secondary definition of "racism" as "a doctrine or political program" implies a system of oppression. But he added that the definition was not clear enough. “I think we can express this more clearly to bring the idea of an asymmetrical power structure into the language of this definition,” he said.