After whiting out its old mural back in January, Ben’s Chili Bowl will officially unveil its new mural Wednesday. The old one featured Donnie Simpson, Barack Obama, Chuck Brown, and Bill Cosby. Three of those men returned on the new mural. Cosby, a longtime friend of Ben’s, didn’t.
The new mural, painted by DC artist Aniekan Udofia, also includes (among many others) Muhammad Ali, Michelle Obama, Prince, Wale, Taraji P. Henson, Dick Gregory, Russ Parr, and Roberta Flack.
Rosa joined Washingtonian as an editorial fellow in fall 2016. She likes to write about race, culture, music, and politics. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a degree in International Relations and French with a minor in Journalism. When she can, she performs with her family’s Puerto Rican folkloric music ensemble based in Jersey City. She lives in Adams Morgan.
