Full Name Li Yangguo Occupation Photographer | Name Corky Lee | |
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Born 1948 Queens, NYC | ||
Corky lee chinese american exclusion inclusion exhibit ny historical society
Corky Lee (born as Lĭ Yángguó 1948 in Queens, New York City) is an American photographer. The main goal of Lee’s work is to chronicle and explore the diversity and nuances of Asian American culture overlooked by mainstream media and to make sure Asian American history is included as a part of American history.
Contents
- Corky lee chinese american exclusion inclusion exhibit ny historical society
- Photographer corky lee caught in the act
- Early life
- Photographic work
- Corky Lee Day
- Awards
- References
Photographer corky lee caught in the act
Early life
Lee began studying American history at Queens College in 1965.
In Lee's youth, he saw an 1869 photo in a social studies text that celebrated the completion of the transcontinental railroad at Promontory Summit, Utah. Its construction had involved thousands of Chinese workers; but the photo depicting representative laborers included not one Chinese person.
Photographic work
Lee's work has documented key events in Asian American political history.
In 1975 Lee took a picture of a Chinese American man that was hurt by members of the Police of NYC and was being hauled by the police officers. This picture was posted in the front page of the New York Post diary, the day of the publication of his picture and the notice of that event 20,000 people marched from Chinatown to City Hall protesting against police brutality.
Lee also captured with his camera the protests that took place after Vincent Chin's murder. Vincent Chin was a young Chinese American man living in Detroit and was killed by Ronald Ebens, a superintendent of Chrysler, and his stepson. The perpetrators attacked Chin with the justification that Japanese companies caused the loss of American auto industry jobs.
Corky Lee refers to himself as the “undisputed unofficial Asian American Photographer Laureate.” Lee’s photographs have documented the daily lives of Asian Americans as well as various historical moments in American history.
Corky Lee Day
David Dinkins, New York City mayor proclaimed May 5, 1988 to be "Corky Lee Day" recognizing Lee's work as an important contribution to New York City communities.