Jennie Lee Allen-Burton was born in Tunica, Mississippi. She was the oldest of four children. She lived the first twenty years of her life on a plantation where her father and mother was sharecroppers. She finished grammar school at the Forest Dale Church School. Jennie enrolled at the Agricultural High School in Clarksdale, Mississippi. After high school, she enrolled on campus at the Coahoma Community Junior College, where she earned her Bachelors of Arts Degree. She was a member of the marching/concert band, concert choir, and the education club. She attended the Alcorn State University in Lorman, Mississippi. Jennie moved to Chicago, Illinois where she earned a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Elementary Education from Northeastern Illinois University. After her teaching career progressed, she earned a Master of Science in Management from National Louis University. Jennie taught thirty years as a Learning Disabilities teacher, counselor, and conducted Special Education Seminars. She is the author of one book, The Gift of Prayer, and authoring her second book.