Juan Monje

Juan Monje is a community organizer focusing on outreach and engagement with Columbia River communities. Juan’s strong stance against illegal contamination of natural resources and the challenges facing our rural communities with harmful fossil fuel terminals led him to volunteer and fight to close the methanol refinery in Kalama, Washington. In 2020, moved by the same vision, he joined the organization Comunidades as a volunteer and helped to start “Voces del Noroeste,” an online show featuring people fighting for social and environmental justice. He later joined the staff of Communidades from 2021-2023 before starting his position at Columbia Riverkeeper in 2024. Juan serves on the One America PAC board, and participates in the Energy Justice Leadership Institute and the Grassroots Leadership Council where he lives in Vancouver, Washington. 

Juan has been instrumental in building the change for communities of color in Southwest Washington, including advocating for laws that favor immigrant communities and fair representation. He believes it is time to advance a safer and more equitable immigration system—one that will strengthen our entire community. He champions adult literacy programs and continuing education for Latina/o/x non-traditional students wanting to pursue higher education.

What inspires you to do this work?

As an immigrant, I am motivated to be part of the change in my community. My goal is to encourage minorities and other underrepresented groups to unite, dream, and achieve more by protecting the natural and cultural resources surrounding the Columbia River. As part of the Latino community, I believe we can come together to make changes that help address the social and environmental injustices we face.