Corky Lee - Asian American Photographer

Born: September 5, 1947, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Died: January 27, 2021, New York, New York, U.S.A.

Corky Lee was a Chinese American photographer who used his camera to highlight Asian American lives, struggles, and achievements that were often overlooked.

Young Kwok Lee, better known as “Corky” Lee, was born on August 25, 1947, in Queens, New York. He was the second child of Lee Yin and Jung See, who had immigrated from China to the United States. His nickname, “Corky,” came from people mispronouncing his name. From a young age, Lee understood his identity as an American-born Chinese (ABC), and this shaped his life as both an activist and photographer.

Lee’s passion for photography and justice began in middle school. One day in class, he saw a famous photograph of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869. The photo showed white workers standing proudly on two trains. But Lee noticed something missing, there were no Chinese workers in the image, even though tens of thousands had helped build the railroad. That absence inspired him to make sure Asian Americans were seen in history.

After graduating from Queens College with a degree in history, Lee became a community organizer in New York City’s Chinatown. He helped the elderly connect with services and taught new immigrants their rights. He also saw the poor housing conditions many Asian Americans faced and began photographing daily life in Chinatown. Since he could not afford a camera, he often borrowed one to take pictures at rallies, protests, and community events.

In 1975, Lee’s photography gained national attention. That April, a Chinese American man named Peter Yew saw police beating a 15-year-old girl during a traffic stop. When Yew asked them to stop, he too was beaten, arrested, and charged with assaulting an officer. Lee was there and captured a photo of Yew, bloodied, being led away by police. Two weeks later, the New York Post published Lee’s photo on its front page. The image helped spark massive protests, as 15,000 to 20,000 people marched through Chinatown and across New York City, demanding justice.

Lee went on to document other moments of injustice. In 1982, he photographed protests after the murder of Vincent Chin, a Chinese American in Detroit beaten to death by two laid-off auto workers. The killers never served jail time, which outraged Asian Americans across the country. Lee’s photos captured both the grief and the growing movement for rights.

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Lee again turned his camera toward injustice. In one of his most powerful photographs, he captured a Sikh man in Jersey City draped in an American flag, protesting violence against people targeted because of their skin color or turbans. While Lee was often drawn to protests, his work covered far more. Over five decades, he photographed poetry readings, basketball games, street fairs, shopkeepers, and quiet moments between friends. To him, every part of daily life was part of the Asian American story.

In 2014, Lee returned to the moment that first inspired him. At Promontory Summit in Utah, the site of the Transcontinental Railroad’s completion, he gathered Asian Americans from across the country. Some were descendants of Chinese railroad workers. Together, they reenacted the 1869 photo, this time including those whose ancestors had actually built the railroad.

Because of his dedication, Corky Lee became known as the “unofficial Asian American Photographer Laureate.” His work appeared in Time Magazine, The New York Times, and many other outlets. In 1988, New York City Mayor David Dinkins declared May 5th as “Corky Lee Day.”

Even at the end of his life, Lee stayed devoted to his community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he patrolled Chinatown to protect people from rising anti-Asian violence. Sadly, he caught the virus and died on January 27, 2021.

For more than fifty years, Corky Lee used his camera to tell stories others ignored. His photographs gave visibility to Asian Americans and reminded the nation that their struggles, achievements, and lives are part of American history.

References:
“Asian American Photography.” Corky Lee Estate, www.corkylee.org.
Corky Lee | Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion, chineseamerican.nyhistory.org/corky-lee.
Yang, John, et al. “The History-Making Legacy of Asian American Photographer Corky Lee.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 11 May 2024, pbs.org/newshour/show/the-history-making-legacy-of-asian-american-photographer-corky-leel.

Keywords:
Arts, Civil Rights, Courage, Perseverance, Responsibility, Repair the World – Tikkun Olam, Challenge Injustices, Make a Difference

Explore ARTEFFECT projects about this Unsung Hero:
Corky Lee Artworks

View Discovery Award projects about this Unsung Hero:
Corky Lee - Discovery Award 2023