Born in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S., her United Methodist Church lay missionary parents (who were also civil rights activists and Black Panthers) moved Whitfield and her brother to Tanzania, East Africa, when she was six.

[1] As a Swahili-speaking eight-year-old, Whitfield taught English to local Tanzanian children.

After that, Whitfield transitioned to the Internet where, at FaithStreams.com, she regularly posted her “Video Reflections.”[3] She currently appears live on network affiliates around the country as a parenting expert and spokesperson for PLUS Media, a national marketing firm.

Her early credits (on both sides of the camera) include co-hosting The History Channel’s Field Trips USA and Year by Year for Kids, and interviewing celebrities (ranging from Oprah Winfrey and Gwyneth Paltrow to classical performing artists) for A&E Television Networks’ Breakfast with the Arts .

Whitfield is married to Robert Allen, a former lieutenant in the New York City Police Department.