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Reginald Thomas Adams was born on May 29, 1951 in Detroit, Michigan to Harry Adams, Sr. and Madelyn Adams (née Rose). He was the youngest of five children.

Reginald grew up in Inkster, Michigan and was a playful child. He loved swimming, snorkeling and camping with his brother Harry Jr. At Christmastime, his mother played the piano and the five children gathered around and sang carols.

When he was a teenager, Reginald moved to the greater Cleveland area in Ohio with his mother and sister Etta. He first attended Shaker Heights High School and ultimately graduated from Cleveland Heights High School in June 1969.At the age of 16, Reginald met Donald Freeman, an educator and activist, and developed a strong bond and maintained a close friendship that lasted for the rest of his life.

Reginald's first major foray into political activism occurred when he became a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War. He believed the act of killing another human being was immoral, therefore, instead of going into active duty, he completed his wartime service by doing volunteer work at local hospitals.

This volunteer work eventually led to a full-time position in the food services department of St. Vincent Charity Medical Center in Cleveland. He devoted his entire working career there – beginning in May 1971 and retiring in December 2014. He was an essential worker and integral to the process of efficiently supplying food to all the patients at the hospital.

Reginald dealt with heartache very early in life when his mother was diagnosed with cancer and passed away on September 24, 1974. It affected him deeply and fundamentally altered his world view.

On February 6, 1976, Reginald married Eguretha Beatrice Shelton (née Lawlah) and became the stepfather to Victor Darnell Shelton, Eguretha's son from her previous marriage. They later had a daughter, Tariqah Renee Adams. Reginald and Eguretha remained married until Eguretha's death on June 16, 2018.

Reginald was a jazz connoisseur and an avid music collector. He amassed a collection of hundreds of jazz albums over the years. He loved attending concerts and even organized a jazz concert on the Cuyahoga Community College campus in October 1973 with his best friend Don Freeman.

Reginald was also very passionate about spreading knowledge pertaining to political issues. He helped with the distribution of Vibrations , a political, economic, social and cultural publication that delves into local, national and international issues with a focus on the African-American perspective. Vibrations was founded by Don Freeman in 1968 and is currently published semi-annually.

Reginald's most recent political activism work was born out of the protests against the shooting of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams by Cleveland police officers in 2012. He was a founding member of the Committee for Social Justice. Since 2012, the Committee has been raising awareness about the continual injustices perpetrated upon African Americans by individuals, institutions and culture of the United States on national, state and local levels.

Reginald Thomas Adams passed away on February 18, 2023. He is preceded in death by his wife, stepson Victor, father, mother and sister Madelyn. He is survived by daughter Tariqah, sisters Cynthia and Etta, brother Harry Jr. and a host of extended family and friends.