Burton was born at Provident Hospital in Chicago, The fourth of five children to Hattie, a Chicago Public Schools teacherChicago Sun-times, Hattie Burton, Longtime Chicago teacher, news anchor's mom dies at 87, November 29, 2017 and Simpson Burton, a U.S. Air Force veteran. For high school, Burton attended and graduated from Lindblom Technical High School (now known Lindblom Math & Science Academy) in 1980. Burton graduated from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana where she received her B.S. in Psychology and Biology. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. In 2007, she was the first alumnus inducted into the school's hall of fame.
