Google is celebrating one of the persons that brought diversity into the spotlight.
The popular tech giant recently released a doodle of Chinese American photographer Corly Lee in celebration of US Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and the works Lee recorded during his life.
The government of New York proclaimed May 5 "Corky Lee Day" in honor of his lifelong contributions to New York's communities, especially the Asian-Pacific American community.
The Life of Corky Lee
Corky Lee, full name Young Kwok Lee, is a second-generation Chinese American born and raised in the borough of Queens, New York, on Sept. 5, 1947, per the New York Historical Society. His father, Lee Yin Chuck, was a welder, while his mother, Jung See Lee, was a seamstress.
His desire to become a photographer first sparked when he noticed the lack of representation for the Chinese laborers that helped build the transcontinental railroad on a picture that celebrated its completion in his junior high social studies class, per CNN.
Lee would later teach himself photography and attended Queens College to study history. After that, he attended protests, rallies, and demonstrations, which helped him capture moments that depicted the struggles and achievements of the Asian-Pacific American community at the time, per Google.
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This focus on the Asia Pacific American community continued throughout his life; he even revisited the original site of the photo that inspired him to become a photographer and recreated the picture, this time with the descendants of the Chinese railroad laborers that worked to complete the railroad.
Aside from the Asia Pacific American Community, Lee also took photos of antiwar protests, fair housing issues, the gentrification of Chinatown, Islamophobia after 9/11, and more. However, his work started gaining attention when he started capturing large-scale protests against police brutality following the beating of a Chinese American by New York police officers.
Lee passed away on Jan. 28, 2021, at the age of 73, after a hard-fought battle with COVID-19. He first experienced symptoms on Jan. 3 and was hospitalized four days later; his family moved him to the ICU on Jan. 11.
A film about his life and work was in production at the time of his death.
Corky Lee Works, Contributions
As previously mentioned, Lee primarily covered and explored the life and Asia Pacific American community during his time, which was overlooked by mainstream media. He wanted to make sure Asian American history is included in American history.
One of Lee's most significant pictures was of Chinese American Peter Yew as he was dragged away by police - the same Chinese American previously referenced. At the time, Yew tried to intervene in a police beating targeting a 15-year-old boy for an alleged traffic violation, but he, too, was beaten and then charged with resisting arrest and assaulting an officer.
Protests against police brutality led by Chinatown residents sprung out a week after Lee took the photo. His work help shaped American perceptions of Asian American society, leading to former New York City Mayor David Dinkins dedicataing May 5 to honorng Lee's work.
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