Blethen's idea for a letter-writing campaign in the countdown to the 2020 Election turned into Saturday's Hour of Action at Smith Center. The GW women's basketball captain and her teammates were joined in the arena by members of the men's and women's rowing teams at a safe social distance with gymnastics also participating from afar.
Together, the Colonials combined to write and address more than 1,000 letters. Some of the messages went to their local elected officials, and the rest went to potential voters across the country as part of an effort sponsored by non-profit Vote Forward to help encourage registration and participation among under-represented demographics.
"I think everyone was amazed at how much we got done in an hour," said Blethen, a sophomore from Maine. "It just goes to show how you can get so much done as one group of student-athletes working together."
In recent months, GW women's basketball has talked extensively about how the student-athletes can use their platform to support social justice causes and push for change.
The latest reminder of that responsibility came from WNBA veteran Gabby Williams, who joined the Colonials via Zoom shortly after leaving the league's bubble.
"With the letter writing that we did, a lot of that idea came from her," Blethen said. "She said, 'You can use your voice to start communicating with people who are in positions of power.'"
For Blethen, that meant reaching out to Sen. Susan Collins from her home state.
"I just told her about the things that are important to me and things that I think matter not just to the state I'm from but to our country as a whole," Blethen said.
The partnership through Vote Forward offered an entirely different opportunity. The student-athletes received a list of names and a template to write them a personalized note about the importance of exercising their civic duty.
They were able to expand their reach with the help of other programs in the department. The student-athletes may have stayed at opposite ends of the arena throughout the event, but they were joined together by a common goal.
"It meant a lot that those programs were willing to put the time and energy in to participate alongside us," said Blethen, who estimated she completed about 40 letters in all throughout the weekend. "This is a very important movement and topic for us right now, and to see other teams in our athletic department join with us and say 'Hey, we've got you, we'll show up for you,' it definitely made our team feel supported."
Aidan Rowland was among the 30 student-athletes in the men's rowing contingent. The sophomore from Arizona said the event was a natural fit for his program, which has reached 100 percent voter registration. The group has taken time to get educated on their local elections and recently took a run to the U.S. Capitol wearing shirts reading "Honor John Lewis: Vote" in memory of the late Senator and civil rights pioneer.
On Saturday, Rowland penned a note to Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, whom he once met during a high school trip to the nation's capital but had never taken the time to reach out to. He finished the event with a stack of 10 letters addressed to potential voters in Ohio.
While it's been an unconventional fall for everyone, the Hour of Action provided a familiar #OnlyatGW feeling.
"It was very cool to see fellow teams getting together and doing the exact same thing to use our collective voice," Rowland said. "It proves that even though we're limited in certain ways, we can still find ways to try and affect meaningful changes."
"Hour" - Google News
October 22, 2020 at 12:03AM
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Hour of Action - George Washington University - Official Athletic Site
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