Toki Lee with her twin sons, who were nineteen months old during the time the picture was taken.
Interviewee: Toki Lee
Interviewer: Tristan Kanitz
Synopsis
This interview is with Toki Lee, who was born on the 4th of March 1967 in Tokyo, Japan, and grew up in Hacienda Heights, California, USA. She is ethnically Korean because both of her parents are from Korea, but because she learned about this part of her identity much later in life, she instinctually identifies as Japanese. In our conversation, Toki elaborated on her sudden move to America when she was seven and described her views on her Japanese/Korean heritage and how she assimilated to American ways with no resistance. She explained that this led to her “becoming” American and putting aside her Asian identity. During the interview, we covered Japanese and American culture, anti-Asian racism, and the Asian diaspora. We interviewed via Zoom since Toki lives in California and I was in Maine on the interview day. My name is Tristan Kanitz, and I am a sophomore majoring in music computation at Colby College. I am the son of Toki, and I am taking a course on modern Korean history because of my interest in my family’s history.
Biography
Toki Lee was born on March 4, 1967, to Korean parents in Tokyo, Japan. She spent part of her childhood life in Japan, and after attending an international school where she was taught English, she and the rest of her family moved to Southern California when she was 7-years-old, where she spent the rest of her childhood. She hit a turning point in her life when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Photography was a creative diversion that became her outlet and her lifeline during that rough time in her life. Toki eventually quit her corporate job to pursue her artistic endeavor, and she is now a certified PPA (Professional Photographers of America) professional photographer and resides in Oxnard, California with her twin sons.