In this presentation, Dr. David C. Penn invites the reader on a historical pilgrimage back to the early portion of the nineteenth century, in order to revisit the lineage and inception of the George-Kennedy-Anderson-Cathey family of African descent. According to the author, “It is incumbent upon those of us who are surrogates of their sacrifices to remember the suffering, the toil, the trials and the tears, which has been given on our behalf by this esteemed ‘Collective’ which had its beginning in the ‘slave state’ of Tennessee. It is without question a legacy of unfaltering faith that we should never forget.”

Dr. David C. Penn is the son of Robert and Mattie Alice Edmonia Kennedy Penn, both of whom are deceased. He is a native of the West Side of Chicago, Illinois, and the East Garfield district of the "Windy City." Dr. Penn is a member of Phi Delta Kappa, Delta Epsilon Tau, and Phi Beta Delta International Honor Societies. He is the former Vice-President of Phi Alpha Theta Pi Nu Chapter of the University of Nebraska and former Social Science History Department Chair of Richard T. Crane Tech High School. Dr. Penn is licensed in the states of Illinois and Tennessee as a "No Child Left Behind" Social Science educator and administrator. His endorsements include World History, Political Science, United States History, Civics, Geography, Civics and K-12 Administration. His professional affiliations are with the African Studies Association; National Council for the Social Studies; Illinois Council for the Social Studies; National Alliance of Black School Educators; Chicago Historical Society; American Historical Association; Association for the Study of African American Life and History; and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. The academic portfolio of Dr. Penn includes an Associate of Arts, Bachelor of Arts (Rochester College), Master of Education (City University of Seattle, WA - Curriculum and Instruction); Master of Arts (St. Xavier University of Chicago - Educational Administration); Master of Arts (University of Nebraska - History); Educational Specialist (University of Missouri - Ed.S.); Graduate Certificate in School Superintendency (Abilene Christian University); Doctorate in Educational Administration (California Coast University), Doctorate in School Leadership ABD (Concordia University of Chicago), and a Doctorate in Philosophy (Colorado Theological Seminary). This work was presented by Dr. Penn at the Illinois Council for Social Studies Fall State Conference in September of 2005. In the year 2006, Dr. Penn was awarded a Ph.D., from Northwestern Theological Seminary and in July 2006, he attended the Summer Institute of Studies at Harvard University where he received a Graduate Certificate in Civics and Educating Democracy. He has also engaged in post-doctoral studies at the University of South Africa in Pretoria, South Africa.