President Obama Weighs in on Donald Sterling Comments

The NBA is still investigating the authentication of the tape where L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling is allegedly spewing racist remarks to Black-Mexican mixed girlfriend V. Stiviano. Since the audio has surfaced, celebrities, journalists and more have publicly voiced their opinion including United States President Barack Obama.

In Malaysia, the President was asked about Sterling’s remarks at a press conference with the Malaysian Prime Minister and said, “When ignorant folks want to advertise their ignorance, you don’t really have to do anything, you just let them talk. That’s what happened here. The United States continues to wrestle with the legacy of race and slavery and segregation,” he continued, “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.”

The NAACP who was expected to honor Sterling with a Lifetime Achievement award next month for their 100th Anniversary in Los Angeles stated, “Recent remarks like these, and those of Cliven Bundy, remind us that racism is not a footnote of our past, but a reality of our present that we must confront head on.” The organization further noted that they would seek “further redress from Mr. Sterling,” upon the conclusion of the investigation and suggested African Americans and Latinos should honor his request and not attend the games.