The Merriam-Webster dictionary will change its definition of the word racism after receiving an email from a young black woman, BBC reported.

Kennedy Mitchum - who is a graduate of Drake University in Iowa - suggested that the definition should include a reference to systemic oppression.

Here is Merriam-Webster's current definition of racism:

1.         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

2.         a) 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

3.         racial prejudice or discrimination

"I was just speaking on my social media about racism and just about how the things I was experiencing in my own school and my own college," Mitchum said. "There were a lot of things that were racist but it wasn't as blatant."

She noted that many people do not consider their attitude to black racist, as it is not reflected in the dictionary. That's why she decided to expand the definition.

According to her, the issue of definition is vital.

"I think it's very important for people to be on the same page," she noted.