Voting Station

Virginia Ali

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Restaurateur

The Resume

    (December 17, 1933- )
    Born in Virginia
    Birth name is Virginia Rollins
    Widow of Ben Ali (October 10, 1958 - October 7, 2009)
    Co-founded Ben’s Chili Bowl in Washington, D.C.

Why she might be annoying:

    She gave all three of her sons the same middle name Ben in case they ever took over the restaurant business.
    She was happy to regularly host Bill Cosby at the Chili Bowl - until the 2014 allegations started pouring in (can you say peer pressure?).
    This extended to her greenlighting the removal of Cosby from the mural adjoining the restaurant and having his likeness painted over in 2017.

Why she might not be annoying:

    She was a product of Virginia’s segregated school system.
    She kept the Chili Bowl open during the 1968 riots at the request of Stokely Carmichael.
    She has served on several organizations' boards, including For Love of Children.
    She was inducted into the DC Hall of Fame along with her husband in 2002.
    She and Ben received the Key to the City from Mayor Fenty for the restaurant’s 50th anniversary in 2008.
    She said: ‘Our motto has always been: treat people the way you like to be treated. It’s so easy to be kind to each other. It’s just so easy, I don’t know why we find it difficult.’

Credit: BoyWithTheGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 61 Votes: 67.21% Annoying