Sei Fujii immigrated to America in 1903 and graduated from USC's law school in 1911, knowing full well that as a noncitizen, he would not be allowed to take the bar and practice as an attorney. Undeterred, Fujii partnered with like-minded white classmate, J. Marion Wright, and worked for more than four decades to overturn radically discriminatory laws that prohibited Japanese residents and their descendants from participating fully in the American dream. - LA Times 8/2/2015

 

The Sei Fujii Lantern is a project that was conceived by the Little Tokyo Historical Society in Los Angeles California. The lantern was chosen as a beacon to draw attention to the life of Sei Fujii, and to act as a beacon for future generations facing discrimination. 

 

The design was inspired by the traditional lanterns found in Iwakuni Village of Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, but was modernized for the next generation. The 8 foot tall galvanized steel monumental lantern towers over bystanders so that Fujii can be remembered for the great accomplishments he was able to achieve for immigrant populations in California. 

 

The lantern contains two text panels that give a brief history of Sei Fujii's story, and give credit to the supporters and sponsors of the project. The upper portion uses rings of LED strip lights which illuminate, downcasting a soft warm white glow.