The Colony

THE STORY

Just outside Lynchburg, Virginia, there is a sprawling mental institution on a hill with a sinister history. For decades, the Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded, participated in America’s forgotten eugenics program. Today, there is still a small community of survivors living in Lynchburg — all of them sterilized when they were teenagers. They have recently been brought together by a lawyer named Mark Bold, who has made it his personal mission to win reparations for them.

Pete and Steven went on BBC World Service's program Over to You and answered listener questions about the piece. Listen here.

SHOW: BBC World Service - The Documentary
PRODUCERS: Peter Lang-Stanton & Steven Jackson