D.C. burned for days in April 1968, after Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination, and Ben’s Chili Bowl on U Street was one of the only places in town whose doors were kept open by the city. Bridget Todd and Michael Schaffer visited Founder Virginia Ali at her restaurant to reflect on what D.C., and Ben’s, were like during that time.

Check out part one of our series about 1968 — our interview with Vann Newkirk, the host of The Atlantic podcast “Holy Week.”

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