Nancy Wong was born in 1969 in Minnesota and became a Baha'i through a childhood friend. Her parents had emigrated to the United States from Hong Kong; in the US, they opened a Chinese restaurant and worked hard to raise their family in a new country. Nancy first became aware of race in America on occasions when customers made racist comments to her parents. Today she works as a photographer and a youth worker – often combining the two as she serves her community in Chicago.