Annette Britton (’76), Chicago, Ill., and Phoenix, Ariz., has authored 5 Black Women Inc., a collection of 25 autobiographical stories, including some from her time as a student at Bethany.

Her life experiences from perspectives of great poverty to great wealth have fueled her passion to transform the world, one community at a time.

Her most recent endeavor is as story­teller, returning to Bethany to speak with students on Nov. 5. She has many fond memories of her time at Bethany and was excited to be back on campus. At the same time, she noted that her days at Bethany were also very tough for her. Although Bethany was only 120 miles from her home in Chicago, and even though she attended a Mennonite church there, she noted that it felt like an alien world, as if she was dropped by helicopter in a faraway land where everything was different: the landscape, the culture, the people. However, she values how her Bethany experience helped shape who she is today. At Bethany she learned to speak in public, respect and value the differences in others, how to be diplomatic, and to be resilient.

Prior to her visit, Pooja Patel ('12) wrote the following in the Nov. 5 Reflector. (For another story on Annette, see Goshen News article.)

The odds of winning the lottery are about 120 million to one. Upon winning some would buy a plane, maybe a ship, or an extravagant car. Others would travel the world, go shopping, and meet new people. Annette Britton had other plans for the 45 million dollars that she and her family acquired from the Chicago lottery. With this money, Britton, a former Bethany Christian student, started a company called 5 Black Women and wrote a book entitled, “5 Black Women Inc.: 25 Stories That Gave Birth to a Company.”

Britton’s life, as described in “5 Black Women” has never been an easy one, but later transformed into the Cinderella story that all girls dream of at one point in their lives. However, she was not saved by a handsome prince, but rather by her own will and the support of her loving group of family and friends. Britton took part in summer programs that allowed her escape from Chicago to visit Indiana and spend time with the Mennonite community. She exclaims in her book that she cannot “even begin to imagine how different life would have been if not for the relationship with the Mennonites.”

She continues to explain how they helped to build her home and supported her, but most of all gave her and her family friendship. Combined with her faith and the support of her family and friends, Britton was able to overcome corruption, discrimination, poverty, and the deaths of her sister and father, all of which essentially helped her to create something that she is proud of: 5 Black Women, Inc.

The purpose of 5 Black Women, Inc. is to change what most of the population thinks of as community. Britton believes that “We need to create communities in the truest sense of the word- by enabling people to connect with one another based on common interest, not just location.” She hopes to fuse people together based on common problems that they believe need to be solved. For example, reducing neighborhood crimes or making certain that kids can go to college. Some may wonder how she will accomplish such a massive task, but do not worry, she has a plan. Britton says she “will take some of the best corporation training I’ve had and use it to equip people with the skills they need to solve their problems.” Britton also states that a difference needs to be made in the world and that it can be achieved by “empowering people at the community level.”

We often hear the phrase, “Bethany Community,” but what does this mean for our students and faculty? Applying Britton’s principles of how a community should function could positively aid Bethany Schools. Making every student feel like they can achieve or excel in the Bethany Community is important if not vital to its atmosphere. Here at Bethany, we should take pride in the leadership positions available. These positions give students the opportunity to feel like they can make a change or a difference, no matter how small, to strengthen our community. Although there is always room for improvement, the small Bethany Community is doing an exceptional job at building an environment where students feel able.