We recently connected with James Wilkerson and have shared our conversation below.

James, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How has Covid changed your business model?

In March of 2020, I was set to travel to a different school each week to talk to students about sexual misconduct prevention. I had Ivies, SEC schools, professional schools, and HBCUs all lined up. And then COVID hit, and I saw each one of those plans unravel. Without being able to travel for the foreseeable future, I knew that I had to find another medium to reach my audience. So, at the advice of one of my mentors, I started writing. I put my forgotten about English degree to work and churned out numerous articles which eventually turned into a regular column about sexual assault and masculinity for my local alt newspaper, The LEO. Eventually, I had enough material to release my first book “The Title IX Guy.” By the time the world opened back up, I was able to come back to university speaking gigs, not just as an orator, but also as a best-selling author. It may have been hard to see it in 2020, but COVID allowed me to utilize other skills I had to make me a more well-rounded advocate.

James, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a speaker, writer, professor, and advocate in the areas of sexual assault prevention and gender studies. During my first year of law school in 2015, my criminal law professor told our class how some law schools were shying away from teaching units on sex crimes as the material could be triggering. He stated that our class however, would be learning this material as one cannot change the world if he does not know what he is changing. From that moment, I knew this work would be my calling. I began by doing workshops with college fraternities, discussing consent and bystander intervention, using the students’ own language and interjecting a bit of humor to captivate them. This approach has been successful as it allows the students to lower their guard and feel comfortable with the material and message.

These workshops would eventually grow into working with an agent to take my message nationwide, speaking at universities on both coasts and everywhere in between. I’ve also used writing as a channel for my messages, penning two bestselling books, 2021’s “The Title IX Guy”, and 2023’s “Consent Is ____: The Things They Didn’t Teach You in Sex Ed.” My writing has earned me three consecutive “Best Local Writer” awards in the Louisville Eccentric Observer newspaper.

In 2022, I took my message to the classroom proper, teaching “Sex Offenders” for the criminal justice department at Indiana University Southeast. I also began teaching “Gender, Culture, and Sexuality” at that university as well. In addition, I teach my signature course “Advanced Issues in Criminal Law: Sex Offenses” at the University of Louisville Law School.

Education has provided a wonderful platform to do work that will hopefully make our campus communities and society in general a little safer and more equitable.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

There were several benchmarks I had to achieve. When it came to the material I was speaking about, I knew it inside and out. But there were still somethings I had to get under my belt in order to be seen as an expert in the field. Being published is a benchmark in academia. So, I had to write my books and get published in academic journals. Past speaking experience is a benchmark in the speaking world. So, I had to give TEDx Talks, lecture at Ivy League Schools, and speak at conferences to boost my reputation there. Every industry has its standards on what “builds” your name. You have to understand and meet those standards, whether you personally think they are arbitrary or not.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

When it comes to building my social media audience, I use a very direct approach. After my presentations, I flat out ask for the follow. I let my audience know what I give them back for their follow (continued information through short articles, videos, and a direct line to a lawyer eager to answer their questions). I also add a touch of humanity to my ask, letting them know what my follower goal is for the day and how they can help me reach it. Also, by waiting until the end of the program, that gives me about an hour to make a connection with the crowd and win them over. I WORK for those follows!

I also make sure to show my followers gratitude from time to time. We do not buy followers over here. Instead, every follower I get represents some who has heard me speak, watched one of my TEDx Talks, read one of my writings, or taken one of my classes. For me, it’s important to show my gratefulness to them because I remember a time when no one cared what I had to say.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.greekuniversity.org
• Instagram: @jamesjwilkerson
• Facebook: James J Wilkerson, J.D.
• Linkedin: James J Wilkerson, J.D.
• Twitter: @jamesjwilkerson