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In the words of Bob Dylan, the times they are a’changing”.

And it’s about time.

We’ve seen mass protests break out in various shapes and forms over the years, calling for an end to systemic racism and racially motivated violence, but few have reached the scale of the Black Lives Matter demonstrations that have taken place around the world recently.

One aspect of racism that is often called out is the use of words that violate the dignity of people of colour. In South Africa, we’ve seen racists dragged across the coals for throwing around words that reinforced the oppression and violence of apartheid.

Words have power, they shape society, thought, and the way that we interact with others.

Now, to signify the larger cultural shift taking place in the US and globally, the Merriam-Webster dictionary is altering the definition of the word ‘racism’, reports Vox.

The change comes about in response to Drake University graduate Kennedy Mitchum’s email to the editors that expressed his frustration about the current definition’s inadequacy.

The current definition, before any amendments, reads as such:

[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.”

a: doctrine or political program based on the assumption of racism and designed to execute its principles

b: a political or social system founded on racism

racial prejudice or discrimination.

Mitchum wanted the dictionary to provide a more detailed definition, that includes an outline of systemic oppression.

“I kept having to tell them that definition is not representative of what is actually happening in the world. The way that racism occurs in real life is not just prejudice, it’s the systemic racism that is happening for a lot of black Americans.”

Mitchum was both pleased and surprised when she received the following response from the editors of the dictionary:

Merriam-Webster editor Alex Chambers said: “While our focus will always be on faithfully reflecting the real-world usage of a word, not on promoting any particular viewpoint, we have concluded that omitting any mention of the systemic aspects of racism promotes a certain viewpoint in itself.”

In its revision of the definition for racism, Merriam-Webster will attempt to show how racism isn’t just about discrimination or prejudice from one person to another but also about how longstanding institutions and laws and regulations buttress notions of supremacy and inferiority between the races. Moreover, the new definition may help us better see how white people benefit from racism since systemic oppression is ingrained in the fabric of American society.

The revised definition is currently being drafted and will be added to the dictionary soon.

Its editors have also committed to “revise the entries of other words that are related to racism or have racial connotations”.

A positive move in the right direction.

[source:vox]