Adam Yosef (born September 1981) is a British journalist, photojournalist and political activist.

Background

Yosef was born in September 1981 in Marston Green, England and is of South Asian and Middle Eastern heritage, with family from India, Pakistan, Kashmir and Iraq. His immediate family is British and Spanish.

Activism

In 2003, Yosef co-founded the interfaith Saltley Gate Peace Group, a community peace initiative which was formed in response to the threat of war in Iraq as a part of the growing peace movement in Britain following 9/11, and he was Community & Interfaith Liaison Officer for the Birmingham Stop the War Coalition during this period. He has been actively involved in community work which is related to the Lozells riots, the Alum Rock terror raids and campaigning against radical groups in the Midlands. In his early twenties, Yosef slept rough on the streets of London before being assisted by The Salvation Army. As a result, founded the Birmingham Food Drive in 2012, which regularly provides food, clothes and essential items to homeless people in the city, and is an active supporter of youth homelessness charity St Basils. He has also written for Pavement, the magazine for the rough sleepers in the UK. Between 2011 and 2017, Yosef co-organised the Birmingham Zombie Walk, an annual event which raised thousands of pounds for Birmingham Children's Hospital, as part of an ongoing commitment to the charity. In 2015, Yosef co-founded the Birmingham chapter of the national anti-racism organisation Stand Up To Racism. He is an organiser for Stop the War Coalition. In 2021, Yosef co-founded Birmingham Against LGBTQI+ Hate, informally and commonly known as Brum Against Hate, alongside activists Saima Razzaq and Salman Mirza. The group organises rallies against homophobic attacks in the city and has called on city leaders to facilitate better relationships between communities.

Public media career

PR and communications

Between 2003 and 2004, Yosef was employed by the Birmingham Central Mosque as a Press & Public Relations representative. He regularly appeared as spokesperson for the trust alongside its chairman, Dr Mohammad Naseem. From 2005, he was Press Officer for politician Salma Yaqoob, the former leader of the Respect Party. He was also Press & Social Media Officer for Yaqoob during the 2010 general election.

Journalism

Between 2005 and 2006, Yosef was senior journalist with The Asian Today and Desi Xpress, owned by Urban Media. In 2007, Yosef was appointed deputy editor of national entertainment magazine Ikonz. In 2008, he became a columnist for Fusian magazine. In July 2009, Yosef launched I Am Birmingham, an independent news website serving the West Midlands region, of which he is Editor-in-Chief. In August 2011, he was attacked by rioters while covering the 2011 England riots, during which he suffered a cut to the face and a swollen jaw. Yosef has regularly written for the BBC, creating content highlighting issues of socio-politics, diversity, culture, racism and religion. He has also written for the Birmingham Mail, Jewish news website The Forward, Muslim news website IlmFeed, and has had his work featured in The Washington Post, The Mirror, and Al Jazeera.

Controversies

Homophobic comments

Peter Tatchell

Labour Party

Politics

Yosef is a former member of the Respect Party, campaigning for the party in Birmingham. He supported the Green Party of England and Wales in October 2009.

Personal life

Yosef is Muslim and identifies as pansexual.

Honours

In October 2007, Yosef was included in Ikonz magazine's special Halloween photo shoot, in which he was transformed into a The Crow. He was featured alongside actors from television soap Hollyoaks and presenters from the BBC Asian Network. In March 2008, he was included in the top 50 most eligible bachelors list for Asian Woman magazine. In November 2017, he was nominated and shortlisted for the Inspirational Man accolade at the Birmingham Inspiration Awards. In September 2018, Yosef was nominated and shortlisted for the Excellence in Media accolade at The Birmingham Awards. In 2019 and 2021, he was nominated in the Positive Role Model (LGBT) category for the National Diversity Awards. In 2020, Yosef was presented with an honorary award for 'Outstanding Contribution to LGBTQ+ Equality' award by Midlands Zone magazine.