AANHPI Heritage Month: Chinese American chronicler gets his own 'Google Doodle'

Today's Google Doodle honors Corky Lee.

Today is Cory Lee Day in New York City. The late Lee, who chronicled the history of Asian Pacific America through his work as a photographer, journalist and activist, received another honor as the subject of today's Google Doodle.

In 1988, May 5th was proclaimed to be "Corky Lee Day" in honor of his lifelong contributions to New York City’s communities.

"Throughout our childhood, our parents expounded upon the importance of doing the right thing. Simply because it was the right thing to do and carried with it an implicit call to action," said his brother John "Johann" Lee.

"Perhaps they were prescient in giving Corky his Chinese name (Lee Young Kuo). Loosely translated it means, 'to praise,' 'uplift the nation,' and so he did. Through his lens, he gave Americans of Asian descent their history, pride, and dignity and reminded all Americans of Asian contributions to the national American mosaic. Corky raised the consciousness not only of his camera's subjects but that of the nation as well."

Corky Lee was born in Queens, New York City to Chinese immigrant parents on September 5, 1947. When he was in school as a young boy, he learned about the transcontinental railroad in social studies class. During the lesson, he saw a photo that celebrated the completion of the railroad—but noticed a lack of representation for the thousands of Chinese laborers who helped build it. Lee later shared that this event inspired his life’s work.

He went on to teach himself photography and attended Queens College to study history. After graduating college with a degree in American studies, Corky Lee photographed events in Manhattan's Chinatown and the AAPI community more broadly. His parents worried that an artistic career would not be a lucrative path, but he was convinced that photography could be a catalyst for their common politics and activism.

“I didn’t want the AAPI community to be invisible,” he told Curtis Chin, filmmaker of the documentary "Dear Corky."

Lee began photographing community festivals, parades, protests and performances, as well as robust local activism in the area. In May of 1975, he took one of his most famous photos showing the protest of Chinese Americans, in which tens of thousands marched to protest police brutality after a Chinese man named Peter Yew was strip-searched and beaten without just cause.

CORKY LEE

One of Corky Lee's best known photographs was of a 1975 protest in New York City.

Across his life, Lee’s photos were included in countless publications like Time Magazine, The New York Times, New York Post, and more. He also won many awards for his works, and his life has been covered in movies like Not on the Menu: Corky Lee’s Life and Work (2013) and Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story (2022).

Later in life, Lee often visited Promontory Summit in Utah to recreate the photo that had been taken when the transcontinental railroad was completed. He invited several descendants of the Chinese laborers who were not pictured back in 1869 in an effort to show that Asian American history is American history.

While photographing an event during the pandemic in 2021, Lee caught COVID-19. He tragically died at the age of 73 on January 27, 2021, at a hospital in Queens. The community mourned this loss, lining the streets during his funeral procession and staging multiple exhibitions in memoriam of the late photographer.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter or at his blog Views From the Edge.

Asian America mourns; legendary photographer/historian Corky Lee succumbs to COVID-19

Photographer Corky Lee at onen of his photo exhibits in New York City.

UPDATED Jan. 28, 1 a.m. to include reactions and funeral details.

Corky Lee, the legendary Chinatown documentary photographer, lost his battle against COVID-19 at the age of 73. He passed away Wednesday morning.

Lee reportedly first began feeling symptoms of COVID-19 on Jan. 3. He was admitted to a Queens hospital in New York City on Jan. 7, then was moved into the intensive-care unit on Jan. 11, where he was put on a respirator.

Asian American leaders and organizations across the nation mourned the passing of the influential photojournalist.

Lee has documented Manhattan’s Chinatown and the city’s Asian American and Pacific Islander communities since the 1970s. He goes by the whimsical moniker “the undisputed unofficial Asian American photographer laureate.”

CORKY LEE PHOTO

Among the major events he has covered were the protests over the beating of Peter Yew by Fifth Precinct police in 1975. Yew had objected after police “mishandled” a youth during a traffic incident and wound up being roughed up inside the precinct.

Born and bred in New York City, Corky strives to make visible the often invisible aspects of Asian American culture and history. "My life's mission can be described as 'photographic justice,'" he has said. "Rectifying omissions in American history one photograph at a time. We do matter, America better get used to it."

He was inspired to become a photographer as a teen when he observed that there was not one Chinese person in any of the iconic historical images of the completion of the transcontinental railroad, despite the fact that Chinese laborers made up the majority of the workforce that toiled to build the railroad. Since 2014, Corky has organized photos of "flash mobs" of Chinese Americans at the historic site in Utah to right this omission.

CORKY LEE PHOTO

Photographer Corky Lee's passion was to correct the "omissions" in U.S. history.

Over the course of his career, he has captured countless pivotal moments in Asian American history, from a bleeding Chinese American man being hauled off by the NYPD at a march against police brutality, to protests in the aftermath of the 1982 Vincent Chin murder trial, to a Sikh man draped with an American flag after 9/11.

Lee documented the fight for reparations for survivors of Japanese World War II internment camps in the American West and also the struggle for Chinese-American W.W. II veterans to be recognized by Washington for their valor.

“Mark Twain said, ‘The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.’ Corky knew his why -- to yield a camera to slay injustices against APAs. And he lived his purpose every day for the greater good of the AAPI community," said Sharon Wong, Past OCA National President.

Congressmember Grace Meng, D-NY, tweeted: "Saddened by news of Corky Lee's Passing. He worked relentlessly to ensure Chinese Americans' contributions to history were appreciated & documented. He was like a walking museum. There will be many moments upon we will reach back to Corky's work to help our community move forward."

Active in the Asian American Journalists' Association, Lee mentored and inspired a generation of journalists.

Corky Lee was the eldest son and second child born to Chinese immigrants, Lee Yin Chuck and Jung See Lee. He was proud of his immigrant roots and of his father’s military service during WWII.

Corky Lee is survived by brother John, who resides in Carlsbad, CA with his wife Barbara and their two daughters Jade and Jasmine.

A private service will be held at Wah Wing Sang Funeral Home in New York in the coming days. In lieu of flowers, donations in Corky’s memory can be made to the Asian American Journalist Association (AAJA) Photog Affinity Group, www.aaja.org.

CORRECTION: Earlier versions of this post misstated Corky Lee's age.

Vets' Day First Person: Families of Chinese American veterans push for Congressional Gold Medals

Descendants of Chinese American WWII vets brought photos of their fathers and grandfathers.

By Shirley Lew
ASAM NEWS

AN UNPRECDENTED GATHERING of descendants of Chinese American WWII veterans came to Manhattan’s Chinatown American Legion for a group photo to gain support of the Congressional Gold Medal Act.

Bit, along with her co-organizers, photojournalist Corky Lee and myself expected about 40-50 people to attend. However, to our amazement, we had well over 100 and ran out of chairs at the American Legion Lt. Kimlau Post 1291 and had to take three separate group photos instead of just one photo.

One woman traveled from Connecticut. Others came from New Jersey and the surrounding tri-state area. Attendees were to bring 8×10 photos of the veterans in their uniform. Some even had their discharge papers and another woman wanted to bring her 96-year-old father, a WWII veteran, but he was not able to attend due to the rain. 19- year-old Brittany Lew of NJ brought her great grandfather’s photo.

Thomas Lee, a Vietnam veteran and member of the American Legion, shared that he and his six brothers all served in the military. Holding back tears, he told the audience his oldest brother was shot in France and did not come home. What also crushed me was that he said his family did not have a car and could not afford to hire a driver to attend the funeral, but nevertheless, his father spent several weeks wages from working in the laundry business to get the family to the funeral.

I had the opportunity to explain to the audience what an average day of advocating is like at the Capitol, what is involved and what our advocating team’s language is when we are meeting with the legislative aid. I felt that this would give the general public an idea of what the process is like so that they may know what is involved to get our heroes recognized.

Attendees of the group photo shoot were encouraged to “snail mail,” tweet and or tag their Congressional members on Facebook to gain support. Making a telephone call to the Congressional members’ Washington DC office would also work in lieu of a group photo.
With only one final week planned to advocate for this bill in the Capitol, it is urgent that we get the attention of these remaining 100+ representatives to co-sponsor HR2358, not only because approximately only 50 Chinese American WWII veterans remain, but it would be symbolic that it pass in 2018, which is also the 75th anniversary of the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act. We are so close, yet if it does not get passed, advocacy efforts will be required to start with zero support the following year, and that’s if we decide to try again

I, along with the former National Commander of the American Legion, Mr. Fang Wong and other members of the local Chinatown American Legion will be in Washington DC to advocate for co-sponsorship. This will be my third trip and and it is also the last viable week in 2018 to advocate as no one on Capitol Hill may be interested in our advocacy or any advocacy efforts of others after the mid-term elections.

We are also asking all supporters to download the image of the banner and to use that as their Facebook cover photo to bring awareness of the Congressional Gold Medal act. A big thank you to Donald Yee who donated the banner for the event.

An internet search turned up nothing similar to our gathering of descendants in the US, therefore, we are unofficially declaring this the first gathering of its kind. In Australia, descendants of Chinese Austrailian WWII veterans recently marched on Anzac Day for the first time to commemorate their ancestors’ service.______________________________________________________________________________

Congressional Gold Medal sought for Chinese American WWII veterans

Chinese/American veterans took part in a recent Memorial Day Parade in New York City.

ASAM NEWS

CHINESE/AMERICAN SOLDIERS have served the United States since the Civil War. Wearing both Union and Confederate uniforms, 58 Chinese Americans soldiers joined the battle and marched together with other American soldiers.

During the Second World War, there were fewer than 120,000 Chinese American residents living in the United States. Still, 20,000 Chinese American veterans served the United States in the War.  Nobody knows how many of those veterans remain alive today, with estimates ranging up to just one thousand.

A campaign by descendants and supporters of Chinese/American veterans aims to honor these veterans with a Congressional Gold Medal, reports CGTN.

Corky Lee, a Chinese/American photographer whose father served in the war, met lawmakers on the Capitol Hill several times on one cold morning.

“The World War Two veterans have always been considered America’s ‘greatest generation,’ but it’s basically White,” he said to CGTN.

The Chinese Exclusion Act was the first significant exclusionary law restricting immigration to the United States. As noted by its name, the Act largely targeted Chinese Americans in attempts to placate those concerned about maintaining a White “racial purity” in the 19th century. The passage of the Act led to beginning of eight decades of racist policies targeting the Chinese, followed by the Japanese and then the Filipino/Americans.

“The one thing I never got to ask my father – because I guess I was never mature enough to ask him was – ‘Why is it that you couldn’t become a citizen, you couldn’t vote, you couldn’t testify in court. Why would you fight for a country, and possibly die, you know, fighting for a country that didn’t see you as a possible citizen or even a human being?” Lee said.

Last year Boston City Council President Michelle Wu, the first Taiwanese American and the first Asian American woman to serve on the council, filed a resolution to recognize Chinese American WWII veterans. The Council passed the resolution on Sept. 11 at its weekly meeting.

Democrat Tammy Duckworth of Illinois is a retired US Army lieutenant colonel who co-sponsored a bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal collectively to Chinese/Americans as part of the Chinese/American WWII Veterans Recognition Project.

“More than 13,000 brave Chinese/Americans volunteered to risk their lives to protect their fellow Americans from our enemies during World War II,” she said. “Their unwavering commitment to their country even after being initially turned away should be recognized, and it’s important we honor this brave group of veterans with a Congressional Gold Medal.”

The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honor in the United States. Many Filipino and Japanese American veterans have been awarded with the honor. But none of the Chinese/Americans have been.

William Chen is the first Chinese/American to become a two-star Major General in the U.S. Army. His father supported operations of the Flying Tigers American Volunteer Group.

“They became known and recognized by the American people and that helped open up opportunities for all Chinese/Americans and Asian/Americans after World War Two,” Chen said.

The campaigners hope that their efforts will help raise awareness of Asian/Americans’ contributions to the United States and help change public perception against Asians.

COURTESY OF PAUL GOOY BOO LEE FAMILY

The Chinese American unit of the U.S. Congressional Army Air Corps.

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