Authens Asantewaa was born in Illinois to Jamaican parents. She completed high school in Evanston, Illinois and attended University of Illinois Chicago for undergraduate study. She studied for a semester at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon. After which she proceeded to Northwestern University for her first master's degree. Authens holds a second master's degree, and a doctoral degree from Northern Illinois University. Authens has worked in the field of history for the past 15 years, serving as a public historian and an adjunct lecturer. Authens is also an independent researcher who chronicles the lives of the women of the Ethiopian royal family. She is co-editor of the journal, Empress Menen Chronicles: An African Woman's Journal of History and Culture. Authens lives in Illinois with her husband Kwadwo Oppong Wadie and their four children.