This article contains language that some may find offensive.

Washington (CNN) President Barack Obama used the n-word during an interview released Monday to make a point that there's still plenty of room for America to combat racism.

"Racism, we are not cured of it. And it's not just a matter of it not being polite to say nigger in public," Obama said in an interview for the podcast "WTF with Marc Maron."

"That's not the measure of whether racism still exists or not. It's not just a matter of overt discrimination. Societies don't, overnight, completely erase everything that happened 200 to 300 years prior."

The jarring comment comes as the nation is engaged in a debate over the role of race after a white supremacist killed nine African-Americans last week in a historically black church in Charleston. They also reflect a growing willingness for Obama to discuss race during the final years of his presidency.

President Obama speaks with comedian Marc Maron, host of the podcast "WTF with Marc Maron."

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