March 19, 2021
Rachel Anyu-Lainjo, Director of Workplace and Patient Diversity
I was born in Cameroon, Africa. Growing up, I didn’t know I was a minority because everyone looked like me! Stereotyping was not a thing and being aware of your self-identity was not an issue. But I was passionate about fighting injustices. There were times in school when I would get in trouble because I would be in the middle of a situation trying to stand up for someone who was being treated badly. In a couple instances I didn’t even know the person that I was trying to help, but I knew it was the right thing to do.
When I was 14, we moved to Germany because my mother received an international work assignment there. This is when I became aware of disparities and stereotypes. It was the first time I experienced the feeling of being made fun of for being different. After eight years in Germany, I moved to the United States. I worked as a translator while taking college classes to obtain my nursing degree. I began working as a nurse, but realized my passion was in health equity. So, I went back to school, completed my MBA and then continued my studies and received my Master of Healthcare Administration. I still felt I had more to learn, so I started my PhD in Public Health, which I completed in February 2021.
I wouldn’t change anything about my life. I feel blessed to lead Diversity and Inclusion at CentraCare and thankful our leadership team is so supportive of this work. It’s a marathon – not a sprint – but we are making progress. I always tell people, nobody here created racism and I’m not here to guilt anyone. But we all have the power to either let racism continue or stand up and stop it.