Ben's Chili Bowl has long been a part of Washington's history and now that history is officially on display at George Washington University's Africana Research Center. A collection of photographs and business papers — including payroll books, receipts and old menus — is the Africana Center's first business collection from Washington's black community. Says GWU historian Bernard Demczuk: "Aside from the wonderful African American celebration of the Black Broadway from the 1900s to the 1970s, you also get this really interesting picture of a small family struggling and making a very successful and now ... iconic business." [AP]
