‘Madness’ unveils the mistreatment of Black patients at a Jim Crow-era hospital
Author and award-winning journalist Antonia Hylton wanted to better understand the damage that’s been done to Black people through psychology. Her curiosity led her to study the subject ten years ago.
In her research, she discovered Crownsville Hospital, a segregated mental asylum in Maryland, VA. It was built in 1911 by the same Black men who would eventually become patients.
The facility closed 20 years ago, but it’s now the focus of Hylton’s new book, “Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum.”
On Tuesday’s edition of “Closer Look,” Hylton spoke with host Rose Scott about her book that exposes the mistreatment and abuse of Black patients at Crownsville Hospital.
In the book, Hylton interviews former patients about their experiences and makes comparisons to the mental health system of today.
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