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Friday, November 13, 2026Nov 13

Young women embrace kinks, dreads as a celebration of heritage

Facebook: Teen Voices @ TFP

By Jacquelyn Benford

Valley Voices Staff Writer

When Mercedes Johnson let her hair grow natural, she felt closer to herself.

“I feel like I have become stronger on the inside,” she said. “Once I got my dreads, everybody had something to say, but that made me a stronger person because now I couldn’t care less what people think about me.”