When you take a look through Cindy Trinh's work, her passion for the city's Asian American community and for social justice becomes clear immediately.

"I think it's more important now than ever to tell our stories, to be heard,” said Trinh.

What You Need To Know

  • Several photojournalists and artists like Cindy Trinh and Kam Mak are doing their part to document the city’s Asian American community, following in Corky Lee’s footsteps

  • Lee served as a mentor to both Trinh and Mak before his passing from COVID-19 earlier this year

  • Lee spent decades documenting the experiences and contributions of Asian Americans, from everyday New Yorkers to protesters fighting injustice

It's a quality she shared with her mentor, the late Corky Lee.  The beloved photojournalist documented the experiences and contributions of Asian Americans, from everyday New Yorkers to protesters fighting injustice.

"That's why his work was so powerful,” said Trinh, “because he did the work that he really cared about and so that's what I really take from him, as well to keep doing the work that I care about, to keep documenting."

Trinh, who created the photo project Activist NYC, is among the photographers, journalists and artists carrying Lee's work forward after his death from COVID-19 this past January.

"Every week, I meet someone new who I never saw before and they're Asian Americans who were influenced and touched by Corky's work,” said Trinh.

Lee’s work also included promoting the richness of Asian culture and taking artists like Kam Mak under his wing.

"Without him people don't know who I am and what I'm doing in Chinatown in my community,” said Mak.

Mak, who emigrated from Hong Kong as a child and grew up in Chinatown, said Lee was a tireless cheerleader who opened doors for him and promoted his artwork after he was chosen to create the United States Postal Service’s Lunar New Year stamp.

"[Corky] said, ‘Kam, what you're doing is really important. We need to let everyone know what this stamp is about,’” explained Mak.

Their connection opened Mak's eyes to how much history Lee was active in preserving.

"There's so many things I didn't know about my own heritage and how we got here,” Mak said. “He also introduced me to a lot of veterans, Chinese American World War II veterans.”

Their shared pride in culture shows in Mak's creations.

"I think it's very important for us to know and to remember where we come from,” said Mak.

Both Trinh and Mak said there are countless others like them, people through whom Lee's legacy lives on.