Ferelene "Nan" Bailey was born into a military family and moved around extensively throughout her childhood to countries such as France and Japan. Once settled at St. Timothy’s boarding school in Maryland, she applied to Brown University, encouraged by her mentor Jean Miller (Pembroke College class of 1949) who was at the time the headmistress of St. Timothy’s. Once at Brown, Bailey became enveloped in the social activism on and off campus and joined several groups such as the Women’s Liberation Organization, the Afro-American Student Society, the Student Caucus, and the Young Socialist Alliance, eventually turning these political groups into her degree as an independent study. After graduating, Bailey worked in several companies around the United States, including a meatpacking industry and an airplane part manufacturer. At the time of this interview, she lived in Los Angeles, California.
