Warren Furutani Collection

Warren Furutani is a Sansei (fourth-generation) Japanese American who was born in San Pedro, California, on October 16, 1947. He is the grandson of a boat mechanic on Terminal Island in San Pedro, whose family was forcibly removed to Rowher incarceration camp during World War II. While incarcerated, Warren's father met his mother from Elk Grove, California. After returning from war, his father and mother met on the East Coast before returning to San Pedro, California, where Warren Furutani was born. They eventually moved to Gardena, California.

Warren Futuani graduated from Gardena High School in 1965 and earned a Liberal Arts Degree from Antioch University. After high school, Furutani became a Civil Rights Activist. He assisted universities in instituting ethnic studies programs. He also was one of the founders of the Manzanar Pilgrimage and established the Manzanar Committee, which was instrumental in designating Manzanar as a historical landmark.

Furutani eventually went on to work on the Los Angeles Unified School Board, and also served as a board member for the California Communtity Colleges before running for State Assembly. After replacing Democrat Laura Richardson in a special election in 2008, he served the 55th District for over four years in the California State Assembly.