More than 1,700 people who were buried in unmarked graves are now being remembered through a new memorial unveiled today at the site of the former Crownsville State Hospital.
Volunteers today unveiled the memorial to honor people who lived and died at the old hospital, which was segregated for decades and treated Black patients cruelly. Many patients died and were placed in graves with only their medical numbers to identify them.
The "Say My Name" memorial now honors those patients, most of whom have been identified. One speaker emphasized that the memorial ensures these individuals will not be forgotten again.
"It's not by accident in Mississippi. They're looking at 70 years ago when Emmett Till died to make sure that story was not told. It's not by accident that here in Crownsville, Maryland, we're going to make sure that this story is told over and over again. So as one of the speakers said, it will never happen again," activist Carl Snowden said.
The memorial represents just one part of a larger plan to transform the old hospital site. Anne Arundel County leaders have begun working to convert the 500-acre site into community spaces. Three nonprofits have already established operations at the center, with others expected to follow.
"This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy."
