By Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, CNN

Washington (CNN) — It is one of the most evocative works from the American Civil War: a sculpture of a Black man who had escaped from slavery helping an injured White Union soldier lost in hostile territory.

When it was unveiled in 1864, John Rogers’ “The Wounded Scout, a Friend in the Swamp,” was celebrated for its anti-slavery message and patriotic tone. But in 2025, a Smithsonian exhibition, “The Shape of Power: Stories of Race and American Sculpture,” asked visitors to reconsider the message behind the piece.

On display, the sculpture is paired with a description that prompts viewers to consider how the work, and others by Rogers “reinforced the long-standing racist social order,” despite its pro-Union and emancipation sentiment.

The exhibition’s ef

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