From Privilege to Protest

We often hear that power changes people. That it corrupts. That once someone gains power, they rarely change—if anything, they dig in deeper. They justify their decisions. They dismiss criticism. They harden their positions.

But what if power could also be a catalyst for positive change?

Consider this

Bartolomé de las Casas began his life in the Americas as a colonizer. He owned enslaved people and profited from the violent conquest of Indigenous communities. He was part of the empire, benefiting from a dehumanizing system.

But something changed. After witnessing the brutality firsthand, he experienced a moral reckoning. He gave up his land and wealth, became a Dominican priest, and devoted the rest of his life to defending the rights of Indigenous peoples.

De las Casas became one of the first Europeans to publicly condemn colonialism as a moral and spiritual failure. He wrote, preached, and lobbied the Spanish Crown to end the encomienda system, the forced labor system that oppressed Indigenous communities, and to recognize their humanity. He risked his reputation, faced fierce opposition, and stood virtually alone for much of his life. Still, he persisted.

Putting it into Play

De las Casas did something hard. He had the courage to change—to radically alter course after holding power.

The willingness to evolve in the face of new truths is a profound form of courage. De las Casas turned his privilege into protest. He used the credibility of his position to speak out against the system that once empowered him.

Too often, we equate power with certainty, conviction, and never backing down. But power doesn’t come from always being right. It comes from the courage to do better once you know better.