Earlier this week, HipHopDX spoke with MTV‘s “Sway” Calloway on a number of issues including the hardships facing the new generation of veterans, the BRAVE petition, and MTV‘s A Night for Vets: An MTV Concert for the BRAVE.
Created by MTV and several veteran organizations, the BRAVE petition urges government officials to take better care of five key issues facing veterans including homelessness, proper mental health treatment, full funding of veteran hospitals, compensation for extended tours of duty, and better disability compensation.
“Our primary goal is to bring to light something we [made] called The Bill of Rights for American Veterans, which is called BRAVE,” Sway told HipHopDX. “It’s something we’ve been doing with MTV‘s Choose Or Lose to just try to bring to awareness a lot of the issues that are concerning the youth and our veterans.”
With the presidential election only weeks away, the issue of veteran’s rights is one of many topics being addressed by both presidential candidates.
“Hopefully, whoever comes into office will pay attention to these needs,” Sway explained. “I’ll be honest with ya, I’ve been traveling for about a year and a half just talking to veterans, young veterans, and I haven’t met one yet that I’ve felt like I walked away and said, ‘Nah, he’s okay. He’s 100 percent okay’. Not one, I’m not even exaggerating.”
A Night for Vets will include a number of celebrity appearances, but most importantly the special will feature personal stories of young veterans and their lives after war.
“I think it’s time that, I think we all agree, to try and bring this thing to the surface especially among our demographic,” Sway told HipHopDX. “And that’s really what this concert is all about. It’s just to say ‘Hey, thank you’. You guys deserve this, and those of you who are watching here are some of the things that’s going on in their lives. Those of you who want to help do something about it, here’s this petition for you to sign. That’s all this is all about really.”
Hosted by Sway, A Night for Vets airs Friday [Oct. 24] at 8 p.m. on MTV. The event features performances by 50 Cent and Ludacris, along with appearances by Ciara, Eve, and Whoopi Goldberg. The BRAVE petition can be signed online at www.chooseorlose.com.
