How A Black Teen Mom from Detroit Became An African Queen

At some point in our lives, we’ve probably all imagined starring in some version of a real-life Coming to America story that ends with us leaving our ordinary, lives in the United States behind to become African royalty.

That’s exactly what happened to Kennedy Johnson. In 1996, she was 15 years old, pregnant and away from her family. Twenty-five years later, she became an African queen.

According to CNN, the Detroit native was left at a foster home for teenage mothers by one of her relatives. They promised to come back for her after she gave birth, but that day never happened.

Raising a child on her own when she was still a child herself was tough, but Johnson was determined to go after her goals – including traveling abroad. So when her daughter D’Kiya turned 11, the pair started putting their passports to work, traveling to places as far as Hong Kong and South America. Johnson shared pictures of their international adventures online to affirm that yes, Black folks travel too.

“I would meet other people in my age group, but not my demographic,” Johnson told CNN. “I was going places and people would stop me and be like: ‘Beyoncé!’ They would automatically assume I was in the entertainment industry and not taking a holiday, because people of color weren’t really traveling like that.”

Years later, when a DNA test determined Johnson had Nigerian and Ghanaian heritage, she traveled to West Africa to explore. She loved the region so much she founded Green Book Travel in 2018, which organizes culturally-immersive ancestry trips to the area for Black people from all over the world.

Although she made many trips to the area, there was one trip to Ghana in 2021 that Johnson will always remember. She was asked to visit the Dakpema, a local spiritual leader, who told her he wanted her “to prepare to be the Queen.” Johnson was given the honorary title of “Zosimli Naa,” which means “Friendship Queen,” in October 2021.

“We felt she was the right choice based on her qualities and her connection to both the Dagbon Kingdom and the diaspora,” the Dakpema told CNN. “By having a Queen who embodies both our rich cultural heritage and strong ties to the world, we open the door to cultural exchange, investment and global awareness.”

Johnson received full Ghanaian citizenship in November 2024, and currently lives in Tamale, a city in Ghana. She continues to make an impact in the area through her foundation Kith and Kin, which provides clean water to residents and shoes for children. She’s beloved by young people in the area who call her “The Swagger Queen.”

Kennedy Johnson’s daughter is now 28 and is considered a princess. She told CNN that she couldn’t be prouder of her mom for what she’s accomplished in spite of the challenges she faced.

“It’s the story of a person with everything against them being blessed with everything from the universe,” she said. “You can say you’ve seen everything when you’ve seen your mom grow up with a lack of family, and then grow to gain millions of people as her family.”

For Johnson, the whole thing still feels like a dream sometimes.

“I’m still pinching myself,” she told CNN. “It feels very surreal.”