MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP/Getty Images
President Barack Obama on Sunday weighed in on the controversy embroiling Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, saying that his alleged racist remarks reflect the damaging legacy of slavery that still exists in the U.S., CNN reports.
Obama said that while the country has made great strides in confronting the racial divide, the comments attributed to Sterling show how much more work needs to be done to improve relations between the races.
"The United States continues to wrestle with the legacy of race and slavery and segregation," he said, according to CNN. "That's still there, the vestiges of discrimination. We've made enormous strides, but you're going to continue to see this percolate up every so often."
Obama made his comments while on a visit to Malaysia, underscoring the roiling debate that has erupted since TMZ Sports published a recording of Sterling’s alleged racist comments. A person said to be Sterling is heard berating his girlfriend, V. Stiviano, who is half black, for posting social media images of herself with blacks and other minorities.
"In your lousy f**ing Instagrams, you don't have to have yourself with—walking with black people," the man says.
Read more at CNN.