With heavy hearts, the Freedom Socialist Party shares the news that poet and FSP leader Nellie Wong died of cancer on Jan. 2, 2026, in her home in San Francisco. She was 91. Born in Oakland’s Chinatown, Nellie was a prominent Bay Area fighter for the working class, women, people of color, the disabled, and LGBTQ+ folks. She was famed for her seven books of poetry. Many of you reading this do so because Nellie introduced you to the newspaper and FSP’s socialist feminism. Look to the next issue of the FS for a full tribute to this remarkable revolutionary.
Nellie Wong at home. PHOTO: FS archives
