James William Charles Pennington (1807-1870) was an African-American pastor in the Congregational and Presbyterian churches. He escaped from slavery at the age of 19 and became a leading abolitionist. His story is told on the website of the Presbyterian Historical Society and in the 2011 book American to the Backbone: The Life of James W.C. Pennington, the Fugitive Slave Who Became One of the First Black Abolitionists by Christopher L. Webber.

Pennington wrote many articles for magazines and newspapers, and he published two books: The Fugitive Blacksmith (1841), and A Text Book of the Origin and History of the Colored People (1850). Both can be found on the Log College Press website here.