When I arrived in Wichita and began to make contacts in the community, one of the persons I became aware of was Djuan Wash. Djuan, from my perspective, is a tireless advocate for social justice.

Wichita, like most urban areas, contends with such issues as income inequality and poverty, the quality of public schools, and community relations with the police. In this setting, Djuan is someone who not only speaks out against injustice, but also seeks to provide those in need with helpful information (that will allow them to help themselves). As someone who can successfully work with persons from a variety of races and age-groups, Djuan Wash would be a real asset to any organization that may have interest in adding him to its team.

Passion- In order to have the type of commitment to community for the work that Djuan's does it requires passion and it overflows from him. What Djuan has done for the city of Wichita and the state of Kansas is invaluable. Djuan serves as an example to others through a commitment to diversity and social justice beyond the scope of his professional responsibilities. I have had the chance to both work with him and watch his work as he tackled issues in the state capital and community issues. He was a driving force behind the Community Barbecue that brought the community and Officers together, as well as writing and submitting bills that would benefit and protect the Wichita community. Djuan is a proven community leader with the gift of bringing people together for a common goal. Love collaborating with him.

I worked with Djuan during his time at Sunflower Community Action & Kansas People's Action. He is an exceptionally hard worker who brings great passion and enthusiasm to his work for social justice. He has great skills and experience in building strong community relations among diverse groups and between community leaders and elected officials, fostering constructive public conversations around pressing social issues, and using community organizing and communications tools to advance campaign objectives and make positive social change that improves the lives of everyday people.

Djuan Wash provided exceptional work for those who have served under and around him. His ability to assess and react to a situation were important tools that helped improve his organization.

As a communicator, Djuan had a gift for assessing the needs of the situation, effectively delivering a message relatable to the community, and getting his audience to relate to that viewpoint.

These tools have significant value not just for a community organizer, but also for anyone who looks for a leadership role.

Djuan Wash is an asset to the organizations that utilize his services.

I'm always impressed with Djuan's understanding of history and his wide ranging knowledge of community engagement. Djuan has a skill of working with various stakeholder groups on different sides of an issue. His ability to seamlessly weave through these groups makes him an excellent resource for communities and organizations tackling difficult challenges.

Communities thrive when citizens are engaged in what's happening around them. Djuan's work has galvanized hundreds of Kansans around issues such as criminal justice reform, breaking the cycle of poverty, fighting for equality under the law, and protecting immigrant families, just to name a few. People with Djuan's fervor for sustainable change are indispensable when given the opportunity to champion a worthy cause, product, or idea.

Djuan is a very capable and versatile man. He has been a great asset to our community. He has gone from a studious young man to a community leader. I see great promise for this young man.

Djuan Wash is an activist who worked as an organizer with Sunflower Community Action and now as Juvenile Justice Advocate for Kansas Appleseed. There he brings people together of all races, financial statuses, and ages to work together for peace and to redress wrongs in our society. Djuan's work achieved for Wichita "a new citizens review board, increased crisis intervention training, and lobbying by the Chief of Police to improve legislation for the independent investigation of officer-involved shootings." He helped Kansans get suspended drivers license relief and has campaigned to ban the box on county and city job applications that people who have served time in prison must check. Checking the box prevents thousands of Kansans from being able to find employment once they have paid for their mistakes and returned to the community.

Djuan models collaborative approaches to solving community programs and bringing disparate groups of people together. Djuan met with Wichita police chief Ramsay to find a nonviolent way of handling community anger in response to the escalation in police killings of unarmed African Americans. The result was the barbecue last August in McAdams Park hosted by the police and by all accounts a rousing success in bringing police and community together. Chief Ramsay was invited to the White House because it was such a novel and creative approach.

Djuan works on behalf of the disempowered of all ethnic groups and has been a leading advocate on behalf of immigrants and those threatened with deportation for lack of documentation of their status. He is a brilliant speaker and writer, a most effective organizer, and a student at W.S.U. and father to the niece he has adopted. He is tireless giving time and energy to making Wichita a city that welcomes all who come here.

Djuan gives me hope for Wichita's future. He is one of our very brightest lights and should be celebrated for his selfless service to this city.

Driven, organized and passionate are great adjectives to describe Djuan. Very few people have Djuan's talent to galvanize a group of individuals to accomplish a shared goal. He is a valued leader and advocate for whatever organization he is a part of. I've always enjoyed working with Djuan and I look forward to working with him in the future.

When I began as a volunteer with Sunflower Community Action, I had the chance to meet Djuan for the first time. In fact, Djuan asked me to come out to a meeting, where I decided to volunteer. I was immediately aware of his dedication, expertise, and commitment to justice. Djuan is incredibly skilled at outreach efforts as well as with leadership.

I remember attending a Sunflower Community Action leadership training, which was planned in coordination with groups from various backgrounds, including organized labor and national justice organizations. Djuan helped to coordinate the event and facilitated it. His influence was felt clearly through the creativity of the day's thought provoking exercises and the strong list of speakers and presenters. Aside from making sure everything ran well, Djuan put an amazing and successful effort into making things engaging for all participants. Thanks to his leadership, I learned an immense amount that day.

Another anecdote that stands out to me occurred during the Wichita mayoral campaign. Djuan reached out to me to help interview a mayoral candidate, and we worked, alongside other volunteers, to create a list of questions covering issues close to Sunflower Community Action's efforts. The interview went well, despite there being disagreements between the candidate and the organization's platform. It was productive, thought-provoking, and successful overall, thanks to Djuan's leadership. He always displayed a willingness to give volunteers the roles he believed they could do well. Thus, the office was a place of empowerment and fulfillment, even for occasional volunteers. Djuan's positive attitude and leadership kept many of us coming back to help out.

I have since moved away and not been able to work with Djuan much in the past year. However, we keep in touch, and I continue to be impressed by Djuan's level of community involvement. He is, quite simply, the paragon of what it means to be an advocate for justice. I look forward to seeing all the successes he achieves in the coming years and give him my full recommendation.

Djuan has been a pleasure to work with. His dedication, people first attitude, and ability to drive work autonomously have helped set him apart. Any company would be lucky to have him.