After coming to DC for the March on Washington 2020, George Floyd’s family visited Ben’s Chili Bowl on Tuesday and took a photo at the historic restaurant with owner Virginia Ali. “It was a touching moment,” Ali tells Washingtonian. “We all know the pain that they have experienced. Just to share some time with them was very meaningful for me.” She added: “I felt close to the family [after Floyd’s killing] because I felt the sympathy and the pain.”
Ali says that Floyd’s brothers, Philonise and Terrence Floyd, heard they needed to go to Ben’s before leaving town, so they stopped by on the way to the airport. They ate half-smokes and had some cake, too, as Ali talked to them about the history of restaurant that celebrated its 62nd anniversary last week. Floyd’s family and friends now join the long list of notable guests who have been to the U Street mainstay. In the future, you’ll be able to see this photograph on Ben’s signature wall of fame. “We will make sure that it’s on the wall,” says Ali’s daughter Vida. “That’s an important photo that we put up.”
Rosa is a senior editor at Bitch Magazine. She’s written for Washingtonian and Smithsonian magazine.
