Uploaded June 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
On February 25, 2023, longtime activist, elected official, and community member Warren T. Furutani joined us for the launch of his new memoir, “ac•tiv•ist, noun: a person who works to bring about political or social change.” The program was highlighted by musical performances, including live music by jason chu, Joe Virata, and Alan and Marsha Furutani, and special guest speaker Mark Pulido.
This program was co-presented with JANM’s National Center for the Preservation of Democracy.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
In his new memoir, “ac•tiv•ist, noun: a person who works to bring about political or social change,” Warren T. Furutani writes about his experiences of being a student, community and political activist for more than fifty years. He reflects on his personal evolution and growth through organizing the Asian and Pacific Islander American social justice movement, his career in community service, his perspective on current issues, and lessons that he learned from different times in his life.
Furutani reveals the struggles, pitfalls, and triumphs of public service with humor and insight about mentors, colleagues, and friends who guided his career and shaped him as a person. He also offers advice to politicians, educators, and community leaders on how to get the job done. ac•tiv•ist includes Furutani’s thoughts about issues such as anti-Asian hate, the homeless crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, Black Lives Matter, and immigration.
AVAILABLE AT THE JANM STORE:
“ac•tiv•ist, noun: a person who works to bring about political or social change”: janmstore.com/products/ac-tiv-ist
---
Programs like this are made possible by the generous support of JANM’s members and donors. Become a member or consider making a tax-deductible gift so that we can continue to present more programs and exhibitions like these. Your support makes a difference. Thank you!
Become a member: janm.org/membership
Donate now: janm.org/donate
Japanese American National Museum
100 N. Central Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
janm.org
Stay connected with us!
Follow JANM on Instagram: instagram.com/jamuseum
Follow JANM on Twitter: twitter.com/jamuseum
Follow JANM on Facebook: facebook.com/jamuseum
Follow JANM on TikTok: tiktok.com/@jamuseum
On February 25, 2023, longtime activist, elected official, and community member Warren T. Furutani joined us for the launch of his new memoir, “ac•tiv•ist, noun: a person who works to bring about political or social change.” The program was highlighted by musical performances, including live music by jason chu, Joe Virata, and Alan and Marsha Furutani, and special guest speaker Mark Pulido.
This program was co-presented with JANM’s National Center for the Preservation of Democracy.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
In his new memoir, “ac•tiv•ist, noun: a person who works to bring about political or social change,” Warren T. Furutani writes about his experiences of being a student, community and political activist for more than fifty years. He reflects on his personal evolution and growth through organizing the Asian and Pacific Islander American social justice movement, his career in community service, his perspective on current issues, and lessons that he learned from different times in his life.
Furutani reveals the struggles, pitfalls, and triumphs of public service with humor and insight about mentors, colleagues, and friends who guided his career and shaped him as a person. He also offers advice to politicians, educators, and community leaders on how to get the job done. ac•tiv•ist includes Furutani’s thoughts about issues such as anti-Asian hate, the homeless crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, Black Lives Matter, and immigration.
AVAILABLE AT THE JANM STORE:
“ac•tiv•ist, noun: a person who works to bring about political or social change”: janmstore.com/products/ac-tiv-ist
---
Programs like this are made possible by the generous support of JANM’s members and donors. Become a member or consider making a tax-deductible gift so that we can continue to present more programs and exhibitions like these. Your support makes a difference. Thank you!
Become a member: janm.org/membership
Donate now: janm.org/donate
Japanese American National Museum
100 N. Central Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
janm.org
Stay connected with us!
Follow JANM on Instagram: instagram.com/jamuseum
Follow JANM on Twitter: twitter.com/jamuseum
Follow JANM on Facebook: facebook.com/jamuseum
Follow JANM on TikTok: tiktok.com/@jamuseum



![Writing Heroes with Naomi Hirahara & Sarah Kuhn
On March 26, 2022, award-winning Japanese American authors Naomi Hirahara (An Eternal Lei) and Sarah Kuhn (From Little Tokyo, With Love) discussed their recently released books that explore the power of young women and the significance of place. The event also included readings from the books audiobook narrators Chloe Madriaga and Emily Woo Zeller.
About An Eternal Lei by Naomi Hirahara:
[BUY IT NOW: https://janmstore.com/products/an-eternal-lei]
It’s the middle of the pandemic and Hawaii has been virtually closed to tourists. So when Leilani Santiago and her young sisters save a mysterious woman wearing an unusual lei from drowning in Waimea Bay in Kaua’i, questions abound. Who is she and where did she come from? Leilani suddenly finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation when the lei is traced back to her best friend, the very pregnant Courtney Kahuakai, and her family’s flower business.
While the woman is in a medically-induced coma at a local hospital, Leilani sets out to discover her identity and her connections to the island. She is drawn deeper into the mystery, only to stumble into secrets that prove deadly. When Leilani’s investigation puts her family in danger, her survival and the safety of those dearest to her will depend on her sense of ingenuity and the strength of her island community.
About From Little Tokyo, With Love by Sarah Kuhn:
[BUY IT NOW: https://janmstore.com/products/from-little-tokyo-with-love]
If Rika’s life seems like the beginning of a familiar fairy tale—being an orphan with two bossy cousins and working away in her aunts’ business—she would be the first to reject that foolish notion. After all, she loves her family (even if her cousins were named after Disney characters), and with her biracial background, amazing judo skills and red-hot temper, she doesn’t quite fit the princess mold.
All that changes the instant she locks eyes with Grace Kimura, America’s reigning rom-com sweetheart, during the Nikkei Week Festival. From there, Rika embarks on a madcap adventure of hope and happiness—searching for clues that Grace is her long-lost mother, exploring Little Tokyo’s hidden treasures with cute actor Hank Chen, and maybe . . . finally finding a sense of belonging.
But fairy tales are fiction and the real world isn’t so kind. Rika knows she’s setting herself up for disappointment, because happy endings don’t happen to girls like her. Should she walk away before she gets in even deeper, or let herself be swept away?
Programs like this are made possible by the generous support of JANM’s members and donors. Become a member (https://janm.org/membership) or consider making a tax-deductible gift so that we can continue to present more programs and exhibitions like these: https://janm.org/donatenow. Your support makes a difference. Thank you!
Japanese American National Museum
100 N. Central Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
https://janm.org
Stay connected with us!
Follow JANM on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamuseum/
Follow JANM on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamuseum
Follow JANM on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamuseum Writing Heroes with Naomi Hirahara & Sarah Kuhn](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/m_RZrCCjEQ8/mqdefault.jpg)






