Exhibition on View
Focus on Justice: The Photography of Corky Lee
Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
May 1 - May 31, 2024
Governor's Reception Room, 2nd Floor
New York State Capitol
Corky Lee, Self Portrait. NYC, 1990s.
“Every time I take my camera out of my bag, it is like drawing a sword to combat indifference, injustice, and discrimination and trying to get rid of stereotypes.” -Corky Lee
Celebrated photographer and activist Corky Lee began his career documenting the lives, struggles, and contributions of Asian Americans in New York and beyond. His work not only brought awareness to the Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) community but visually presented a retelling of AAPI history through the lens of the everyday Asian American. Through honoring Lee and his work, the State of New York celebrates 2024 Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month.
Lee did not restrict himself to only taking photographs of Chinese Americans. In New York City, he became a permanent fixture at every AAPI event, earning the title “Undisputed, Unofficial, Asian American Photographer Laureate.”
Lee’s passion for the AAPI community continued until his very last photographic project which depicted a group of Guardian Angels working to halt the spread of anti-Asian sentiment in New York City during the outbreak of COVID-19. Lee passed away shortly after in January 2021 at the age of 73 from COVID-19 complications.
New York State is the proud home of more than 1.6 million Asian Americans, and New York City alone is home to more residents of Asian descent than any other city outside of Asia.
Asian Americans helped build our state and country into what it is today, and the contributions of this community make our state stronger, more resilient, and more innovative. From standing up against anti-Asian hate, and investing in AAPI communities, to celebrating Asian culture, such as signing a new law declaring the Asian Lunar New Year a public-school holiday across the state, and Diwali as a NYC school holiday, New York remains dedicated to fighting for Asian American New Yorkers every day.
In the 1970s, as Asian immigration into New York swelled, bigotry, discrimination, and police brutality towards these communities also increased.
On April 26, 1975, Peter Yew was brutally beaten and wrongfully jailed, stripped, and beaten again by police after he asked them to stop beating a 15-year-old teenager who was in a crowd of protestors. The attack on Yew sparked outrage and protests nationwide.
On May 19, 1975, the largest Asian American protest in United States history occurred in New York City’s Chinatown with an estimated 20,000 people in attendance. Corky Lee was present and navigated through the crowds, documenting every moment. The protests were successful in having the charges against Yew dropped and were a catalyst for raising awareness for Asian American rights in New York and the nation.
Throughout the late 1960s and 1970s, New York City’s Chinatown had a robust garment industry where thousands of women, mostly Chinese immigrants, worked long 12-hour days for insufficient wages. Women were often left with no options but to stay at home or bring their children to the factories when they could not afford or find childcare.
In 1982, after years of unsuccessful lobbying for childcare, safer working conditions, and better wages, over 20,000 garment workers went on strike. Not only was the strike successful in having unions open daycare centers in Chinatown, but it energized and mobilized Asian American women to bring attention to labor, gender, and class rights in their communities.
In this photograph, Corky Lee confronts this discrimination. A Sikh man, many of whom were targets of post-9/11 hate crimes, stares directly at the viewer draped in an American flag, reminding the audience that he too is an American citizen grieving the unfortunate events of the attacks. This powerful image aims to combat the dangerous stereotypes that many Asian Americans continue to face.
Thank You
All images within the exhibition and online are courtesy of the Corky Lee Estate.