In Jennifer Muhammad’s eyes, everyone is royal, and everyone is family. Those she serves at her aptly named nonprofit organization, the New Royal Family, she proudly refers to as her “kings and queens.”
The New Royal Family provides services directly to people living on the streets. Through the organization, Muhammad (more colloquially known as “Miss Jennifer”) addresses a critical need that often goes overlooked for those experiencing homelessness: dignity, I.e., the ability to know and believe in one’s self-worth
Organizations serving homeless populations routinely provide essential services like food, water, and shelter. While those services address basic physical needs, some organizations go the extra mile to ensure people experiencing homelessness can access “self-care.” Especially for women experiencing homelessness, this can mean providing hair care, makeup, and other tools to shape their appearance
Speak to Muhammad about her work, and one can immediately feel the sheer abundance of her love for her kings and queens — love she wants more than anything for them to feel for themselves
“I feel that we have to remind people, because this world does not refer to them or any of us as that,” Muhammad said, explaining why she calls the people she serves kings and queens. “But we have to remind people who are suffering that you are still royal despite your station in life — that would make you see yourself differently.”
At the New Royal Family, Muhammad goes to great lengths to make people feel their most beautiful, providing makeup, hair services, opulent accessories, and elaborate ballgowns. Any resaid she and her team are on the clock 24/7, providing whatever is requested
“I [even] have paparazzi people to come down, you know, to make you feel good about yourself, and that’s a start,” she said. “It’s not only the essentials, but it’s how one feels about themselves. That’s a part of rebuilding a person as well.”
The New Royal Family is not the only organization addressing homelessness in D.C. that highlights the importance of beauty, self-care, and dignity in changing lives. In fact, many programs targeted toward women — who often face unique challenges in their ability to care for themselves, ranging from childcare to domestic abuse and subsequent trauma — build in opportunities for women to feel beautiful
The community at Calvary Women’s Services understands the importance of women’s beauty as both a personal and practical tool. For decades, Calvary has been providing single, often Black women in D.C. with comprehensive reven photoshoots
Lauren Etti, the communications manager at Calvary, explained why appearance can serve as a critical step toward employment, rather than a trithey’re securing employment, being presentable on your first job interview, what you wear [matters],” Etti said. “We work with organizations like Suited for Change, for example, who provide clothes for women who are stepping into that employment role.”
While this service has a more practical motivation, Etti said the innate value of beauty goes unquestioned at Calvary
“That’s also the benefit of being in an all-women space where you also have a majority of staff who are women who, like, get it,” Etti said. “Yeah, we understand that you need to take care of yourself, you know, no matter the cost, because it’s very important to how you feel and your wellbeing. So I’ll say that’s definitely a unique part of our organization that strengthens it.”
At Calvary, they know beauty can shape identity, and seek to honor that through services tailored toward Black women and their beauty needs
“A lot of the women we serve are Black women, and taking care of our hair, making sure it’s braided, making sure our nails are done [is important],” Etti said. “Typically, those are things that you find within our programs, which is important because it reinforces the idea that we are here to stand by women as they’re doing those things.”
Etti and others at Calvary have seen the impact their holistic approach to care has had on the women they serve. Last fall, the organization invited the women of Calvary to come get their hair and makeup done at no expense for a glamorous photoshoot
The photoshoot was an opportunity for the women to feel special and get pampered without any cost concerns. The entire Calvary team came together to make it possible
“It was great to see some of our program staff who do lashes on the side, that kind of thing, say, ‘Hey, like if we’re doing this, you know, let’s give our clients a service that usually costs maybe like $150 to $200. Let’s just, like, do it for free,’” Etti said
In a particularly emotional moment, Etti reflected on the impact of the photoshoot and how it recently came full circle. One of the women who participated in the 2025 photoshoot recently got her makeup done by the same artist for her speech at Calvary’s annual Hope Gala, which took place this spring. She was returning to the community as an independent, employed, promoted woman
“She just, like, lit it up on stage. She looked incredible,” Etti said. “And it was just, it was so special to see her when you’re talking about your hardships to a bunch of people who don’t know you, but her taking the step to, like, bring her artist to where we’re having the gala, get her makeup done, practice, have this beautiful gown on the stage, and share about the most difficult times in her life and where she is now. It was just incredible.”
Calvary and other organizations’ attention to the self-care of Black women is uniquely empowering because of the stigmas Black women, and Black mothers especially, face within the housing and childcare systems, said Melody Webb, the executive director and founder of Mother’s Outreach Network, an organization that empowers mothers to advocate for policy change and create a network of resources. According to Webb, investing in the self-care of Black mothers actively pushes back on false narratives surrounding Black women’s experience of poverty and motherhood.
“The vast majority of families who get caught up in the system are facing allegations that relate to poverty, and so in D.C., something like 90% of the cases they’re handling are poverty-related, and just across the country, poverty factors actually are basis for neglect allegations,” Webb said
While many of the cases of child neglect stem from poverty, Webb worries popular narratives around women neglecting their children reinforce harmful stereotypes of Black mothers
“So then we have this perception of Black women and Black mothers that are overlaid with racial tropes about laziness and welfare dependent,” she said
This narrative impacts the public perception of Black mothers and can lead to a negative rhetoric around self-care The reality she sees every day is that mothers make sacrifices for their children, often having to deprioritize basic care for themselves. Kimberly Jackson, mother of three and member of the Mother’s Outreach Network for the last four years, explained the many considerations she has to make before investing in herself
“It’s really difficult. Say, maybe I want a hairdo or something like that. I might be able to do that. However, in any event, if it’s something else that comes up with my children, I’m able to take care of that. And especially during the school year, like, they have pop-up trips you gotta pay for. Like, different shows and/or programs that they have, they might need a particular outfit or particular color of clothing that you may not be able to do that. Book fairs, of course, they want books too.”
Despite the sacrifice, Jackson said she wanted nothing more than to be able to provide her children with every opportunity possible
“When you have children, you want them to experience the things that you weren’t able to experience as a child, so whichever way that I can contribute to them having and experiencing those experiences is very helpful for me,” she said
For Amy Allen, mother of three, social media influencer, and advocate at Mother’s Outreach Network for the last two years, self-care ultimately means returning to her core as a person
“It [self-care] can be as minimum as minimizing my phone, as dramatic as going outside with a blanket to the park. Surrounding myself with nature. Sticking my bare feet & hands in some grass!! Sun on my skin for some Vitamin D, drinking water; then taking in some deep cleansing breaths,” Allen said in a written response
“Taking a pause, processing, reflecting, and reclaiming my individuality — really keeps me grounded! Now, that’s my idea of self-care!”
When asked when she felt most beautiful, Jackson thought for a moment
“Sometimes, when I curl my own hair… and, of course,” she chuckled, referring to her kids, “they want to help too.”
“And even sometimes they try to give me little gifts,” she added, “and I’m just like, ‘You don’t have to give me anything.’”
