Jessie Wilkerson, associate professor and Stuart and Joyce Robbins Distinguished Chair of History in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, is a finalist for a Dan Jenkins Medal for Excellence in Sportswriting for her article “Lady Vols Country,” which appeared in the Summer 2023 volume of Oxford American.
The University of Texas at Austin Center for Sports Communication and Media awards the Medal in two categories each year in honor of Dan Jenkins, legendary Texas sportswriter and best-selling author.
The awards include the Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Sportswriting and the Medal for Best Sportswriting.
The Dan Jenkins Medal for Best Sportswriting is given, along with a cash award, to an article demonstrating excellence in sports journalism. Final voting will be conducted by a jury of sportswriters, and the winner will be honored in Austin this fall during a dinner and ceremony.
Wilkerson’s research and teaching explores questions of political economy and social change in 20th century South and Appalachia. Along with scholarly projects, she has written regularly for popular media outlets that include 100 Days in Appalachia, Boston Review, NPR, Rewire News, Washington Post, Oxford American and Longreads.
Her first book, “To Live Here, You Have to Fight: How Women Led Appalachian Movements for Social Justice,” received the H.L. Mitchell Award for Distinguished Book on the Southern Working Class from the Southern Historical Association and Honorable Mention from the Philip Taft Prize in Labor and Working-Class History.
Before arriving at WVU, Wilkerson was a faculty member at the University of Mississippi for six years and a visiting scholar at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She was awarded the prestigious Carnegie Fellowship during 2021-23.