Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story. A one-man campaign to document Asian Pacific Americans!

Our Story
Corky first came into my radar because I had seen a photograph of his in the New York Times. It was a month before the first anniversary of 9/11. The photo depicted a stoic-looking Sikh wrapped in the US flag. The article was about the photographer and his exhibit. I ripped the clipping out from the paper and filed it, as I used to do for many things that I was interested in re-visiting. It would be less than a year later that my path would cross with Corky’s, purely by happenstance. His name was almost as memorable as the photograph itself.

We have been friends ever since that fateful day we met. The more I got to know Corky, the more I realized that his dedication and passion for documenting the Asian American culture runs deep. He has been doing so for more than 40 years! It had occurred to me that someone should be telling his story in a moving-image format.

I have been covering Corky Lee off and on since 2003 and there is much footage to be edited. It’s time for the big push to finish production and post-production and we need your help. Please join us in our efforts to finish this film in 2012!

The Impact

Corky has wanted to publish a book of his photographs for the past 30 years. He is the Kevin Bacon of the Asian American community, it seems that everyone knows Corky Lee! Our hope with this film is to help make sure that his last 40 years of photographing Asian Americans have a larger impact and influence so we need everyone’s help to spread the word about this film, and help expose his work to a larger populace. Our goal is ultimately to produce a film that would reach a mainstream audience and for everyone (including Asian Americans) to have a better understanding of the photographer and his photographs. We would also love to help Corky achieve his goal of publishing his book by bringing attention to his work and building a big, strong, vocal group that will show publishers that a ‘Corky Lee photographic book on Asian Americans’ is not only worthwhile but also financially viable. There is hope that there are enough of us out there that can make this happen!

A product of the volatile 60s and 70s, Corky has been covering immigrant political injustices all over New York City (and beyond) – from small protests outside restaurants over unfair wages to issues of police brutality. He also covers many events annually such as the Japanese Obon Festival, Chinese New Year events and the Coney Island hot dog contest, where he likes to cover regular Asian American contestants such as Sonya Thomas, and Juliet Lee.

Corky is a walking encyclopedia of names, places, events and history. He remembers everything about American history but most especially Asian American history. Each one of his photographs has their own narrative and nothing gives Corky greater pleasure than to discuss the story behind each one of his photos. We believe for this reason alone, a documentary is of the utmost importance, if only to record an oral history of his photographs from the man himself.

By contributing to this project, you are helping us share with the world this determined person’s story of passion, dedication and sacrifice as he continues his journey to seek photographic justice for what he sees as the under-represented Asian American documentation in every day life…one click at a time. Corky is an inspiration for young photographers and non-photographers alike who believe in not only the power of photography but also that one person can make a difference. His photographic contributions to countless books, magazines and newspapers have ensured that the Asian American experience will be documented for generations to come and will rightfully have its place in US history.

What We Need & What You Get

We need $20,000 to complete this film. The money will be spent on editing, original music and post-production costs such as sound mix and color correction. The funds will also be used for marketing. If we don’t reach our fundraising goals, we believe we would be compromising the final product’s quality and reach. But we are going to do everything possible to make sure this won’t happen!

And even when the fundraising is over and the film has been released, our mission will continue. We want to use this film as a fundraiser to help Corky raise the funds to complete that next chapter of his life, which is to publish a book of his photographs. Any funds that exceed our goal will go directly towards that effort so help us aim high! And who knows, since we haven’t finished production yet, if we secure enough funding for his book, this might change the direction of the documentary. Very much, anything can still happen.

Last but not least, we have some fabulous perks for those who are inspired to be a part of our adventure to finish this film, some of which include autographed Corky Lee photographs, a walking tour/dim sum in NYC Chinatown with myself and Corky, and for those seeking Corky’s expert opinion, we also have the opportunity for budding photographers to attend an Asian Pacific American cultural event with Corky which includes a critique of the photographs taken. All of these unique perks are our way of saying thank you for supporting our endeavors. We truly, truly appreciate your donation!

Social Media Mavens Unite!

We also understand that though you may not have the money to donate, you would still like to help. Please be our social media mavens and help us spread the word about our fundraising drive to as many people as possible! And thank you for believing in our project.

Here is our IndieGoGo link: http://www.indiegogo.com/Photographic-Justice-The-Corky-Lee-Story