Changing the Narrative
Photographer Rose Y. Adams’s Luminatecity is a street photography, book, and oral history project that features environment photographs of people on the street in the neighborhood where they grew up and/or currently live. Through Where I Come From, Where I Am by Rose Y. Adams, it serves to inspire and seeks to positively impact the self-esteem of children currently living in neighborhoods where the subjects are from. Its goal is also to inform and inspire. The impetus of this project comes from addressing the psychological impact on children enrolled and attending schools currently labeled as low performing.
The domino associated with this project was created by Ivan V. Adams. It represents 5/5 human. Black people were considered to be only 3/5 human during their enslavement. It also represents “The Domino Effect,” the cumulative effect produced when one event sets off a chain of similar events. We hope this project will create a chain reaction where children see the accomplishments of those in the exhibition and aspire to do the same.
Additional inspiration comes from the work of famed psychologist Dr. Mamie Phipps Clark. Her work and concern about the self-esteem of black children provided the framework and led to the landmark Brown vs Board of Education. After this decision, Adams’s own mother, Arthur L. Adams, was one of the first black people to be enrolled in the segregated Southwest Louisiana Institute, now the University of Louisiana, Lafayette. Thurgood Marshall, then the lawyer for the NAACP, actually was the person who took her to be enrolled in college.
Houston Chronicle Article, August 8, 2025
Northeast Houston
© Rose Y. Adams
Jesse Lott 1943-2023, 2023
24×36, digital print
Where I Come From: Fifth Ward, Kashmere HS, Hampton Institute, California State University,
Otis Arts Institute
Where I Am: Artist, Art League of Houston Lifetime Achievement Award in Visual Arts, Texas State Artist 3D Dimensional
“Education, dedication is the foundation that can save a nation.”
© Rose Y. Adams
Dr. Ouida Middleton, 2023
24×36, digital print
Where I Come From: Shady Timbers, Booker T. Washington HS, University of Houston College of Optometry
Where I Am: Optometrist
“I can do all things through Christ
who strengthens me.” – Phil. 4:13
© Rose Y. Adams
Althria Brown Goebel, 2018
24×36, digital print
Whee I Come From: Scenic Woods, Forest Brook HS
Where I Am: Mother, Actress, Producer
© Rose Y. Adams
Lynda Milton Calloway, 2023
24×36, digital print
Where I Come From: Fifth Ward, Sunnyside, Atherton ES, Worthing HS
Where I Am: Credit Union Manager
© Rose Y. Adams
Dr. Jorge Luis Arredondo, 2018
24×36, digital print
Where I Come From: Rosewood, Forest Brook HS, University of Houston
Where I Am: Educator, Superintendent of Schools, Student Affairs Officer
© Rose Y. Adams
Ben Adams III, 2023
24×36, digital print
Where I Come From: Warwick Place, Forest Brook HS, Prairie View A&M, Texas Southern University
Where I Am: Retired Warden-St Croix USVI, US Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons
© Rose Y. Adams
Dr. Kimberly Agnew Borders, 2023
24×36, digital print
Where I Come From: Armstrong Acres, Jones HS, University of Houston
Where I Am: Retired Educator, former Chief Programs Officer for Collaborative for Children
© Rose Y. Adams
Karl Kincheon, 2023
24×36, digital print
Where I Come From: Settegast, Forest Brook HS, US Marine Corps
Where I Am: Retired Desktop Service Technician
© Rose Y. Adams
Josh Dunham, 2018
24×36, digital print
Where I Come From: Rosewood, Kashmere HS, Texas Southern
University
Where I Am: Former bass player for Prince, Joe Sample & Lalah Hathaway, Michael Ward and Patti LaBelle and vocalist Frank McComb
© Rose Y Adams
Quentrella Joyce, 2018
24×36, digital print
Where I Come From: Scenic Woods, Smiley HS Where I Am: Web Designer
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”
– Colossians 3:23
© Rose Y. Adams
Henry Guidry (p/k/a G-Dash), 2018
24×36, digital print
Where I Come From: Glenwood Forest, M.B. Smiley HS
Where I Am: Co-founder of SwishaHouse record label, instrumental in the Southern rap scene and signed and developed artists like Slim Thug and Chamillionaire.
“Hard work and dedication are the keys to success.”
© Rose Y. Adams
Kyle Turner, 2018
24×36, digital print
Where I Come From: Fontaine,
M.B. Smiley HS,
Jackson State University
Where I Am: Saxophonist, Composer, Radio Personality
© Rose Y. Adams
Kim Chavis Stephens, 2018
24×36, digital print
Where I Come From: Settegast, Forest Brook HS
Where I Am: Single Mother
“Give your mother her flowers now such as in exhibiting good behavior in school, cleaning up your room, and being respectful to her and other elders.”
© Rose Y. Adams
Huey German Wilson, 2018
24×36, digital print
Where I Come From: Trinity Gardens, Kashmere HS, University of Houston-Downtown
Where I Am: Program Director Northeast Houston Redevelopment Corporation
© Rose Y. Adams
Lester Pace, 2024
24×36, digital print
Where I Come From: Northwood Manor, M.B. Smiley HS, Prairie View A&M University
Where I Am: Former Vice President of Roc Nation, Owner of radio stations WLGZ 105.5, WRSB 97.5 in Rochester, NY and WOWE 98.9 in Flint, MI
© Rose Y. Adams
Kathy Flanagan Peyton, 2023
24×36, digital print
Where I Come From: Fifth Ward, Forest Brook HS
Where I Am: President & CEO, nationally acclaimed Fifth Ward
Community Redevelopment Corp.
© Rose Y. Adams
Rodney Hill, 2018
24×36, digital print
Where I Come From: Scenic Woods, Forest Brook HS,
University of Houston
Where I Am: VP of Technology, Schlumberger Employees Credit Union
© Rose Y. Adams
Jay Andrew III, 2018
24×36, digital print
Where I Come From: Scenic Woods, Forest Brook HS, University of Houston-Downtown,
Prairie View A&M University
Where I Am: Middle School Counselor, Head Baseball Coach,
Baseball Trainer/Consultant, Former Professional Baseball
Player
© Rose Y. Adams
Michael “5000” Watts, 2018
24×36, digital print
Where I Come From: Rosewood, Forest Brook HS
Where I Am: Producer and co-Founder of Swishahouse Records
© Rose Y. Adams
Roy Chappel, 2018
24×36, digital print
Where I Come From: Warwick Place, Forest Brook HS
Where I Am: Drummer, played with Maze, Regina Belle, Mighty Clouds of Joy, Mark Chestnut, Stephanie Mills, Kirk Franklin, Travis Tritt,
The Commodores
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” – Phil. 4:13
© Rose Y. Adams
Ivan V. Adams, 2018
24×36, digital print
Where I Come From: Warwick Place, HS for Health Professions, University of Oklahoma, University of Houston
Where I Am: Engineer, Entrepreneur, Owner of Lagniappe Wellness and Trees Make a Difference, LLC, Concerted Creative
© Rose Y. Adams
Jeffrey Alan Peck, 2025
24×36, digital print
Where I Come From: Lakewood, Forest Brook HS, University of Houston-Downtown, Texas Southern University, Houston Fire School, EMT Houston Community College, Baytown Lee College
Where I Am: Great-Grandson of W.E.B. DuBois, Board Member of the W.E.B. DuBois Museum Foundation, Retired Lead A Operator Chemical Industry, Kawasaki
Rose Y. Adams
Photographer
Rose Yvette Adams was born on August 26, 1964, in San Francisco, CA and raised in Northeast Houston, TX. She attended Our Mother of Mercy Catholic School and Forest Brook High School. She began taking photos as the student life editor of the Tiger Yearbook in 1985, while she was still a student at Texas Southern University.
Upon graduating from college in 1986, Adams began laying the groundwork for a newsprint youth-oriented cultural arts tabloid Cultivator (Dedicated to the Cultivation of Young Minds). The publication’s first issue went to print in 1987. She solicited the support of her college friends to write articles for the publication, while she herself shot the majority of the photographs. She also wrote articles for the publication under the pseudonyms Jade Alexander and Porter Zeno. By the time Cultivator folded in 1990, Adams had established herself as an environmental portraits photographer and documentarian.
In 1988 she joined the staff of the Houston Independent School District (HISD) as a technical writer. She later worked in marketing communications for the tech industry in Silicone Valley before returning back to Houston and HISD as a technical writer. She maintained her documentary photography work on a part-time basis. After twenty-eight years of service with the district, she retired as the senior manager of community partnerships in 2021 and resumed her photography and writing career full time.
Adams is known today primarily as a environmental portraitist, producer and writer. She has amassed a significant portfolio of artist portraits and interviews. Her work has been published in the Houston Chronicle, The Houston Informer, Gospel Monthly Magazine, and appeared in the documentary “Third Ward TX.” She additionally studied photography at the Glassell School of Art at the Museum of Fine Art.
More
In conjunction with Adams’s photography projects, Where I Come From, Where I Am, has donated over 1,500 books—primarily children’s books written by Black authors—to local schools, community centers, and organizations in celebration of cultural expression and community empowerment. This initiative reflects a deep commitment to increasing access to literature that showcases diverse voices and stories.
By focusing on children’s books, these projects ensure that young readers are exposed to a wide range of perspectives that resonate with their own experiences and introduce them to new ones. This book donation initiative aims not only to enhance literacy but also to celebrate and affirm the importance of representation in the books young readers encounter.
The efforts of Where I Come From, Where I Am go beyond simply providing books—they help to create a space where children, educators, and families can engage in meaningful conversations about identity, culture, and community, fostering a generation of readers who are empowered by the richness of diverse voices.
As the donation efforts and photography projects continue, the impact of this initiative will be felt for years to come, inspiring young minds to see themselves in the stories they read and encouraging them to shape their own narratives.
Learn more about Adams’s other current and upcoming photography projects here:
Latin Soul
(currently on view)
Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church
1501 Jensen Drive
Houston, TX 77020
American Creole
American Creole Narratives
Rose Y. Adams
Lyle Pajeaud
Angelica Adams
For more information on the Luminatecity traveling exhibition or any of Adams’s other projects, please contact her at radams444@yahoo.com.
Where I Come From, Where I Am 