She is best known for her work in juvenile defense and for her book, The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth.

In 1992, Henning graduated from Duke University and received a Bachelor of Arts in English and African-American Studies.

In 1995, Henning was a Stuart-Stiller Fellow in the Criminal and Juvenile Justice Clinic at the Georgetown University Law Center.

[3][4] Henning served as the Law Center's Associate Dean for Clinics and Experiential Learning from 2017 to 2020.

[2] On September 28, 2021, Henning released her book The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth.