Corky Lee's Asian America: Fifty Years of Photographic Justice
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9780593580127
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Photographs By Corky Lee
Forword by Hua Hsu
Edited by Chee Wang Ng and Mae Ngai
Publisher: Clarkson Porter
Release Date: April 9, 2024
Format: Hardcover: 320 pages
Condition: New
ISBN: 9780593580127
A collection of over 200 breathtaking photos celebrating the history and cultural impact of the Asian American social justice movement, from a beloved photographer who sought to change the world, one photograph at a time
Panel Talk: Corky Lee's Asian America: 50 Years of Photographic Justice.
May 19, 2024 Sunday, 1pm-3pm.
Speakers: Mae Ngai, Helen Zia, Stephen Gong.
Sponsors: Eastwind Books, CAAM, Corky Lee Estate.
Oakland Asian Cultural Center
388 9th Street, Ste 290
Oakland, CA 94607
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Corky Lee's Asian America: Fifty Years of Photographic Justice
"A posthumous collection of over 200 breathtaking photographs that document the history and cultural impact of the Asian American social justice movement, through the lens of beloved photographer Corky Lee--the man who sought to change the world one photograph at a time Using his camera as his pen and sword, Corky Lee documented Asian American-Pacific Islander communities for fifty continuous years, breaking the stereotype of Asian Americans as docile, passive, and, above all, foreign to this country. Corky Lee's Asian America is a stunning retrospective of his life's work--a selection of the best photographs from his vast collection, including those he personally chose before he passed, from his start in New York's Chinatown to his coverage of diverse Asian American communities across the country. The pages in this book unfold Lee's decades-long quest for photographic justice, tracking AAPI social movements for recognition and rights alongside Corky's artistic development as a social photographer and activist. Iconic photographs of protests against police brutality in New York in the 1970s, a Sikh man draped in an American flag post-9/11, and a reenactment of the completion of the transcontinental railroad featuring descendants of Chinese railroad workers, live side by side with photos of New York's Chinatown from the inside--a child sitting on a tenement fire escape, a Chinese woman driving her taxi, an opera singer sitting on a park bench adjusting her hair, a package of laundry, waiting to be picked up. Asian American writers, artists, activists, and friends of Lee--including a foreword from writer Hua Hsu and essays from filmmaker Renâee Tajima-Peäna, writer Helen Zia, historians Gordon Chang and Vivek Bald, playwright David Henry Hwang, and TK--provide rich historical and cultural context to the photographs, while reflecting on their relationships to Lee. Corky Lee's Asian America represents Lee's mission to write a history of inclusion, resistance, ethnic pride, and patriotism. This is a remarkable documentary collection of that history in the moments of its making, but it's also a history that we continue to make"--
PRAISE
“For generations, Corky taught us how to see ourselves—as individuals and as a community.”—From the Foreword by Hua Hsu, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Stay True
“Corky Lee put in the center of his frame working-class women, children, and men who have been erased from the annals, capturing their struggle and solidarity with grit, dedication, and beauty. Corky Lee’s Asian America is an enduring and important book about Asian American resistance that will help change the way we look at American history.”—Cathy Park Hong, author of Minor Feelings
“Corky Lee’s remarkable images demonstrate how crucial it is to make sure that Asian Americans are seen, first and foremost, as themselves. His oeuvre is a valuable and moving record of Asian American existence, culture, and activism. Not least, his work is a critical testimony to the Asian American movement of which he was a part, and which he helped to preserve through his photographs.”—Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of A Man of Two Faces
“These stunning photographs by Corky Lee and the stirring essays by those who knew him will take your breath away. For fifty years Corky was the fly on the wall of Asian American–Pacific Islander life. Every image he produced was that of an artist with deep knowledge and commitment to his subject, not that of some outsider searching for easy stereotypes.”—Juan González, cohost of Democracy Now!
“What a fantastic celebration of both the documented and the documenter! To see Asian American history as it was made, and to feel the power of witness—this is the tribute to Corky Lee that he amply deserves, and a gift of incalculable value to American history.”—Gish Jen, author of Thank You, Mr. Nixon
“Corky Lee and his photographs not only documented the most significant transformations in Asian America, they also inspire us to work toward justice. Corky Lee’s Asian America is the book that we have been waiting for. It will become an instant classic that inspires the next generation of artists and activists to continue the work that Corky began.”—Erika Lee, professor of history, Harvard University
“Corky Lee’s Asian America makes visible the unseen contours of a vibrant, dynamic, and diverse Asian American community. This selection will no doubt become an invaluable resource and inspiration for all who want to ‘think and know more’ about the individuals who became artists, protestors, educators, and activists fostering a sense of Asian American community, together.”—Stephanie H. Tung, Byrne Family Curator of Photography, Peabody Essex Museum
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Corky Lee (1947-2021), a native of Queens, New York, was an activist-photographer who documented Asian American communities and movements for social justice for fifty continuous years. Mae Ngai is Lung Family Professor of Asian American Studies and professor of history at Columbia University. She is the author of several books, most recently The Chinese Question. Chee Wang Ng is a New York-based visual artist and photographer
May 19, 2024 Sunday, 1pm-3pm.
Speakers: Mae Ngai, Helen Zia, Stephen Gong.
Sponsors: Eastwind Books, CAAM, Corky Lee Estate.
Oakland Asian Cultural Center
388 9th Street, Ste 290
Oakland, CA 94607
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Corky Lee's Asian America: Fifty Years of Photographic Justice
"A posthumous collection of over 200 breathtaking photographs that document the history and cultural impact of the Asian American social justice movement, through the lens of beloved photographer Corky Lee--the man who sought to change the world one photograph at a time Using his camera as his pen and sword, Corky Lee documented Asian American-Pacific Islander communities for fifty continuous years, breaking the stereotype of Asian Americans as docile, passive, and, above all, foreign to this country. Corky Lee's Asian America is a stunning retrospective of his life's work--a selection of the best photographs from his vast collection, including those he personally chose before he passed, from his start in New York's Chinatown to his coverage of diverse Asian American communities across the country. The pages in this book unfold Lee's decades-long quest for photographic justice, tracking AAPI social movements for recognition and rights alongside Corky's artistic development as a social photographer and activist. Iconic photographs of protests against police brutality in New York in the 1970s, a Sikh man draped in an American flag post-9/11, and a reenactment of the completion of the transcontinental railroad featuring descendants of Chinese railroad workers, live side by side with photos of New York's Chinatown from the inside--a child sitting on a tenement fire escape, a Chinese woman driving her taxi, an opera singer sitting on a park bench adjusting her hair, a package of laundry, waiting to be picked up. Asian American writers, artists, activists, and friends of Lee--including a foreword from writer Hua Hsu and essays from filmmaker Renâee Tajima-Peäna, writer Helen Zia, historians Gordon Chang and Vivek Bald, playwright David Henry Hwang, and TK--provide rich historical and cultural context to the photographs, while reflecting on their relationships to Lee. Corky Lee's Asian America represents Lee's mission to write a history of inclusion, resistance, ethnic pride, and patriotism. This is a remarkable documentary collection of that history in the moments of its making, but it's also a history that we continue to make"--
PRAISE
“For generations, Corky taught us how to see ourselves—as individuals and as a community.”—From the Foreword by Hua Hsu, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Stay True
“Corky Lee put in the center of his frame working-class women, children, and men who have been erased from the annals, capturing their struggle and solidarity with grit, dedication, and beauty. Corky Lee’s Asian America is an enduring and important book about Asian American resistance that will help change the way we look at American history.”—Cathy Park Hong, author of Minor Feelings
“Corky Lee’s remarkable images demonstrate how crucial it is to make sure that Asian Americans are seen, first and foremost, as themselves. His oeuvre is a valuable and moving record of Asian American existence, culture, and activism. Not least, his work is a critical testimony to the Asian American movement of which he was a part, and which he helped to preserve through his photographs.”—Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of A Man of Two Faces
“These stunning photographs by Corky Lee and the stirring essays by those who knew him will take your breath away. For fifty years Corky was the fly on the wall of Asian American–Pacific Islander life. Every image he produced was that of an artist with deep knowledge and commitment to his subject, not that of some outsider searching for easy stereotypes.”—Juan González, cohost of Democracy Now!
“What a fantastic celebration of both the documented and the documenter! To see Asian American history as it was made, and to feel the power of witness—this is the tribute to Corky Lee that he amply deserves, and a gift of incalculable value to American history.”—Gish Jen, author of Thank You, Mr. Nixon
“Corky Lee and his photographs not only documented the most significant transformations in Asian America, they also inspire us to work toward justice. Corky Lee’s Asian America is the book that we have been waiting for. It will become an instant classic that inspires the next generation of artists and activists to continue the work that Corky began.”—Erika Lee, professor of history, Harvard University
“Corky Lee’s Asian America makes visible the unseen contours of a vibrant, dynamic, and diverse Asian American community. This selection will no doubt become an invaluable resource and inspiration for all who want to ‘think and know more’ about the individuals who became artists, protestors, educators, and activists fostering a sense of Asian American community, together.”—Stephanie H. Tung, Byrne Family Curator of Photography, Peabody Essex Museum
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Corky Lee (1947-2021), a native of Queens, New York, was an activist-photographer who documented Asian American communities and movements for social justice for fifty continuous years. Mae Ngai is Lung Family Professor of Asian American Studies and professor of history at Columbia University. She is the author of several books, most recently The Chinese Question. Chee Wang Ng is a New York-based visual artist and photographer