The color of white privilege

I know white privilege | Letter, Dec. 1

I’m a law-abiding white woman. My daughter-in-law, a law-abiding Army veteran, has Native American and Mexican heritage. She is kind, polite and hard-working. We are treated very differently. When I enter a store, I am warmly welcomed by the staff who offer to help me. When she enters a store, she is followed and has been told that she cannot use the bathroom. She has been rudely told to go back to her own country. I have always been treated a certain way because of the color of my skin. She is treated a different way, not because she does not follow the law, but because of the color of her beautiful skin. That is what white privilege is about.

Nancy Cali, St. Petersburg,

Florida taxpayers lose

Florida will pull $2 billion from BlackRock | Dec. 2

Let me see if I have this correct: The Florida taxpayer has received strong returns from BlackRock over the last five years, but the Republican Party, namely CFO Jimmy Patronis, wants to divest from this company due to ideological differences over the use of “environmental, social and governance” investing? I mean, who wants to invest in a company that makes an effort to safeguard the environment, manages relationships with employees, suppliers, customers and the communities where it operates and still provides a great return? Not Florida. Once again the Florida taxpayer loses.

David Burg, Tampa

Wearing the wrong hat

Warren’s central point is under cut | Dec. 2

Imagine if you went to a Tampa Bay Buccaneers game against the Chicago Bears and you looked at the referees and saw that all of them were dressed exactly the same, except for one who was wearing a Bears cap. Every time that referee made a call, it would be scrutinized as to whether or not it was in favor of the Bears. As a country, we hold our professional athletes and elected officials to a higher standard when it comes to their behavior and rhetoric. It should be no different with Andrew Warren. He signed a pledge stating that he would not prosecute abortion cases. He has argued in court that signing the pledge it did not constitute official policy. He should not have put on the “no abortion” cap, but he did, and now he must face the consequences.

Mark Khan, Tampa