A Carolina Fever chair was punished for speaking his mind – and that’s a problem

We go to a university where people are supported for being outspoken and speaking their minds. But that isn’t what happened to Moses Musilu when he gave his opinion on the violence in Charlotte, NC, a few weeks ago.

Carolina Fever is a student sports organization on campus that celebrates the act of being a Tar Heel. Anyone in Fever knows who Moses is. He’s the guy who quotes Drake lyrics in the weekly Fever emails while also providing the weekly rundown of sporting events. He’s typically a lighthearted guy and we all love his emails.

But when riots broke out in Charlotte at the end of September, his email wasn’t filled with cheesy Drake lyrics or his desire to have “Moses part the blue sea” at a game. He got serious about a serious situation.

The opening line of his email said, “In light of recent events, I can’t find it in me to muster the strength to send a ‘typical’ email and act like everything is ok.” We all knew what this email was about when we saw that first line, and that’s a good thing. Some readers might have wanted a “typical” lighthearted email, but it wasn’t the time for one. His email was a welcome voice in the fray of violence plaguing a North Carolina city and also our whole nation.

But to others on the Fever board, it wasn’t welcome. Moses was suspended for a week and lost the chance to attend the UNC vs. Duke football game.

While he is reinstated now, all of his emails must be approved before he can send them – a kind of unofficial probation. Moses declined to be interviewed for this article, but he still works for Fever and is back to sending his punny emails.

But I still think his story needs to be told.

I came to UNC when Russell VanZomeren sent the Fever emails, and if you were lucky enough to be here when Russell was, you can imagine how hard it would be to follow him up. Moses has done that and more.

For starters, Moses has done nothing but support Fever throughout his time as the Public Relations chair. He sends emails updating students about UNC athletics every week without fail, even if he has to write them at 3am.

Moses’ emails quickly became a welcome addition to many students’ weeks, including mine. I could easily look up the schedule online, but I still checked my inbox every week to read his emails because of the stories he would tell.

Honestly, sometimes his emails were the highlight of my weeks filled with midterms, papers and the stress college brings. While I routinely take my name off of every listserv I somehow sign up for at UNC, I have never wanted to stop getting the Fever emails.

If his jokes happened to miss, then the gif or Vine he attached made up for it. There has never been a dull week with his emails. But in my opinion, the best email he has sent in his time as the PR chair of Fever is the one that has gotten him in the most trouble.

Speaking about the violence that happened across the nation is important, but it was the fact that violence was occurring so close to home in Charlotte that made it necessary. Moses had a voice and he used it. He felt that “something has to change,” and it does. But for using his platform, he was penalized.

I’m sorry this happened to Moses, but I’m glad he sent the email. Race relations within America have to change, and silencing the people who speak up is not the way to do it.