Washington Art Exhibition Honors Black Civil War Soldiers While Promoting Human Rights Education

The United for Human Rights art exhibition, held at the historic Fraser Mansion in Washington, D.C., served as both a historical tribute and a contemporary call to action during Black History Month. Co-hosted by the Church of Scientology National Affairs Office, Youth for Human Rights International’s Washington, D.C. chapter, and Art Impact International, the event featured ‘Bloom,’ a commissioned artwork honoring the approximately 200,000 Black men who served as Union soldiers during the Civil War. Dr. Frank Smith, founder of the African-American Civil War Museum and a civil rights activist who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., provided historical context at the opening, explaining that President Lincoln’s 1863 decision to recruit Black soldiers marked a turning point in the war.

Dr. Smith described how these soldiers, mostly former slaves, fought to preserve their own freedom while helping secure Union victory, particularly after setbacks like the Confederate incursion into Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. He also shared a personal anecdote about encountering Dr. King at an airport, where King advised him to ‘Never hang up your marching shoes’—advice that guided Smith’s subsequent career as a D.C. City Councilmember and museum founder. The exhibition included a period-authentic Black Union soldier in full uniform alongside other artworks focused on human rights and civil rights themes, creating a tangible connection between historical struggle and ongoing advocacy.

Azhar Haq, Executive Director of Youth for Human Rights International’s D.C. chapter, emphasized the exhibition’s educational purpose, stating, ‘Art speaks for itself…. Through this event we can get the word out on human rights, particularly to youth so they become advocates for tolerance and peace.’ The event was part of the monthly First Friday: Art Walk Dupont Circle, which brings free art exhibits to galleries, embassies, and cultural centers throughout the historic neighborhood. Attendees received free educational materials on the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, courtesy of Youth for Human Rights International, whose mission involves disseminating human rights education at every level of society.

These materials on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are also available free at www.youthforhumanrights.org. More information is available at https://www.facebook.com/YHRDC. Marcus Manning, Deputy Director of the D.C. Mayor’s office on African American Affairs, attended the exhibition and thanked the artists for their work, highlighting the intersection of artistic expression, historical remembrance, and civic engagement. By connecting the specific contributions of African-American Civil War soldiers to broader human rights principles, the exhibition demonstrated how historical recognition can inform contemporary advocacy and education efforts.

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