Sei Fujii

Attendees take photos at the unveiling of a monument honoring Sei Fujii. Fujii immigrated to California in 1903 and attended law school at USC. Because he was not a citizen, he was unable to become a lawyer. But for decades he teamed with a former USC classmate to fight legal battles on behalf of the Japanese American community.

(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Aug. 1, 2015 7:05 PM PT

Jeffrey Gee Chin, left, director of “Lil Tokyo Reporter,” a short film on the life of Sei Fujii, and sculptor Miles Endo, holding far end of veil, unveil an 8-foot steel lantern in the memory of Japanese-born late civil rights activist and newspaperman Sei Fujii at Japanese Village Plaza.

(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)