HOUSTON — The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas has selected Round Rock, Texas-based musician, poet, and activist Dr. Robyn B. Adams (they/them) as its 2026-27 artist-in-residence. Dr. Adams’ artistry centers Black queer and trans experiences of reproductive justice through music, storytelling, and community-based art.
During their residency, Dr. Adams will host community storytelling workshops across Texas to chronicle the experiences of Black, queer, and trans Texans in one of the worst states in the country for reproductive health care outcomes. They will then transform these testimonials into original music to produce a mixtape and accompanying chapbook as tools for political education and advocacy. Their residency will culminate with performances in the same communities that helped source their project.
“As a Black queer and trans Texan, I believe our stories are essential to our survival and to imagining more just futures,” said Dr. Adams (they/them), 2026-27 Artist-in-Residence at the ACLU of Texas. “Through ‘Black Futures in Flesh and Story,’ I hope to create space for Black queer and trans Texans to speak in our own voices and have our experiences made visible, felt, and part of Texas’ public memory. I want this work to show that our stories are not a side note, but they are a tool for collective freedom.”
Dr. Adams’ artistic and scholarly work explores Black queer and trans embodiment, survival, and political possibility under violent conditions such as political erasure and systemic harm. Through storytelling, erasure poetry, and hip hop, they ask: What might the future of reproduction be if shaped by the truths of Black queer and trans folks?
Born and raised in Texas, Dr. Adams’ identity as a Black, transmasculine, nonbinary, lesbian, multihyphenate artist is deeply tied to their work. Beyond the arts-based advocacy they will be doing with the ACLU of Texas, they serve as a community-based full-spectrum doula and an assistant professor of advertising and brand strategy at Texas Tech University. Dr. Adams is also the Scholar/Activist in Residence at Southwestern University and author of the forthcoming book, “Black Queer Stories: Reproductive Justice and the Politics of Erasure.”
“Dr. Adams reminds us that our advocacy for reproductive rights in Texas must include both the experiences and the solutions of Black LGBTQIA+ Texans,” said Oni K. Blair (she/her), executive director of the ACLU of Texas. “As state officials intensify their censorship of education about race and gender, Dr. Adams’ creative use of the arts to hold space for public dialogue and collective advocacy is more important than ever. At the ACLU of Texas, we believe the arts can reach beyond age, language, and culture to speak truth to power — and imagine a new way forward.”
Dr. Adams was selected following a statewide open call; nearly 250 artists applied. They will receive $30,000 to work alongside the ACLU of Texas and community leaders for the next 10 months to advocate for Texans’ civil rights and individual liberties. Dr. Adams succeeds outgoing artists-in-residence: acclaimed author and poet KB Brookins and renowned painter Vincent Valdez. During their residency, Brookins used poetry and visual art to draw attention to the human impact of pretrial detention in Texas jails, with a particular focus on Harris County. Valdez will culminate his residency with a forthcoming tour to distribute his series of drawings that serve as a visual reflection of our contemporary moment and remind communities of the power that Texans have to create a more just and inclusive future.
Access photos of Dr. Adams and their past work here: https://aclutx.dash.app/sharing/type/collection/23ocr-dr-robyn-adams
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