Corky Lee: 40 Years of Photography

Maggie Li and Al Young interview Corky Lee.

The following is an excerpt from New York University's Asian Pacific American Institute (APA).

Corky Lee, a self-taught photographer, has been documenting the vibrant and fast-emerging Asian and Pacific American community for decades. Known as the "undisputed unofficial Asian American Photographer Laureate," the ubiquitous Corky has covered the day to day lives of Asian Pacific Americans as well as historical moments in American history.                                                                                                    

Born and raised in Queens, N.Y., Lee is a second-generation Chinese American and the eldest child of a "paper son" laundryman and a seamstress. Mr. Lee is a graduate of Queens College and lives in Queens.