Washington, D.C.
Ben's Chili Bowl
Picture of the original Ben's Chili Bowl restaurant on 1213 U Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
Photo taken June 2023.
I'm not sure if many of you have heard of Ben's Chili Bowl. It is an iconic and historic landmark in Washington, D.C. Not only is it known for its famous chili and half smokes, but it was also a place where leaders of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement gathered to nourish themselves and to strategize. It's still the place where many key figures in our society come visit (cue former President Barack Obama and many notable actors and comedians). I feel honored to have met and befriended the restaurant's historian, Dr. Bernard ("Bernie") Demczuk, who shared with me Ben's rich history, its importance to D.C. and to the Black community. I learned that the restaurant was founded in 1958 by a Howard University dental student and Trinidadian native, Ben Ali and his wife, Virginia Ali, who was a banker at the time. I learned that Ben's was one of the only restaurants on U Street to survive the riots that rocked D.C. after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination. I learned that it was a place that fed both police and protestors, because as Dr. Demczuk told me, "everyone needed to eat."
Although Mr. Ali passed away in 2009, in July 2023, I had the great fortune to meet his wife, Mrs. Ali, who, at 89 years young, still runs the restaurant with her family today. I also had the great fortune to bring students from my high school alma mater, Boston Latin School, to the restaurant, where I shared with the students insights I've gained from my career path. The students also got to meet and learn about Ben's history from Mrs. Ali herself. Serendipitous is about how I've been feeling over these recent events and recently-made connections. I feel like a bridge connecting youth, who are our future leaders, to the leaders who have paved the road to the rights we enjoy today and who have built the institutions that hold so much community culture and history. The students met Dr. Demczuk, who, in addition to being Ben's historian, was an activist during the Civil Rights Movement. He is also a professor and tour guide of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. And to top off the students' visit to Ben's, we had the great and also serendipitous opportunity (really, it was very unplanned) to meet the incoming D.C. Police Chief, Pamela Smith. Our encounter was captured by journalists from the Washington Post. See photos below.
Although Mr. Ali passed away in 2009, in July 2023, I had the great fortune to meet his wife, Mrs. Ali, who, at 89 years young, still runs the restaurant with her family today. I also had the great fortune to bring students from my high school alma mater, Boston Latin School, to the restaurant, where I shared with the students insights I've gained from my career path. The students also got to meet and learn about Ben's history from Mrs. Ali herself. Serendipitous is about how I've been feeling over these recent events and recently-made connections. I feel like a bridge connecting youth, who are our future leaders, to the leaders who have paved the road to the rights we enjoy today and who have built the institutions that hold so much community culture and history. The students met Dr. Demczuk, who, in addition to being Ben's historian, was an activist during the Civil Rights Movement. He is also a professor and tour guide of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. And to top off the students' visit to Ben's, we had the great and also serendipitous opportunity (really, it was very unplanned) to meet the incoming D.C. Police Chief, Pamela Smith. Our encounter was captured by journalists from the Washington Post. See photos below.
John William Ward Public Service Fellows from Boston Latin School meeting with Virginia Ali
Ben's Chili Bowl will be celebrating the 65th anniversary of its opening on August 22, 2023. I am thankful that in visiting Ben's and in meeting its architects, I have experienced this piece of history - and that I got to share it with people important to me.
Please read Dr. Demczuk's essay below to learn more about Ben's and its significance to African-American history, which, as we know, is U.S. history.
Thank you, Bernie, for sharing this with us.
Please read Dr. Demczuk's essay below to learn more about Ben's and its significance to African-American history, which, as we know, is U.S. history.
Thank you, Bernie, for sharing this with us.
| bens_chili_bowl_65th_anniversary_-_demczuk_essay_2023.pdf |
Dr. Bernie Demczuk in his "office" - sitting in the seat where Obama sat when he visited the restaurant as President-elect in January 2009.
Boston Latin School Ward Fellow Students Meet D.C. Metropolitan Police Chief, Pamela Smith
This picture was taken on July 25, 2023. It was featured in an article published by the Washington Post on August 1, 2023.
Visit Ben's Website for More Information on its 65th Anniversary Celebrations
And they have vegetarian options, too!