The Fergusons in Africa: The Car Family

The Car Family

Last week we stopped by the Car’s apartment to give them an article about the oldest son in the family, Mulbah Car. Mulbah is finishing high school this year and has been one of the best high school running backs in the United States this year, gaining over 1,600 yards and scoring 33 touchdowns. He has been heavily recruited by major colleges but has committed to play for University of Houston next season. Mulbah is a very modest kid and active in the Church. He spends a lot of his time looking after his younger siblings while his mother is working long hours. His father is in Liberia and he hasn’t had contact with him for many years.

Mulbah Car is one of the best running backs in America. He will play for University of Houston in Fall of 2016

The Car’s live in a small apartment that houses 7 people when you count the mother Oretha, her 5 children and a family friend named Wilfred who stays there so he can get to work. His family lives in another part of the city but Wilfred has no transportation to get to Whataburger where he works. There home also seems to be a gathering place for many children who live in the same apartment complex where many Africans live and often look after each other’s children the same as in Africa.

Mulbah wasn’t home but his mother, Oretha and his sister Blessing were. Oretha can read very little so Eileen read the article we brought to her. She was beside herself with joy. She shouted and cried. She couldn’t believe that such an article was talking about her son. Blessing also shouted and laughed for joy because her name was mentioned in the article. They both hugged Eileen so tight and we so happy to have the article which included 3 pictures of Mulbah.


Watch Mulbah Run Signing Day Video

On another day we stopped by the Car’s apartment. This time only Oretha and Blessing was there and we saw a most amazing mother/daughter event. Oretha was sitting on the couch and Blessing was seated in front of her on the floor; her hair braided in tight rows on her head. It looked very nice I thought.

Oretha selects strands of artificial hair to sew in Blessings braided rows

Then I noticed Oretha had a large curved needle like an upholstery needle and she was literally sewing something into Blessing’s hair. It was quite dark in the room as African homes often are. But in the dim light I could see what looked like long strands of artificial hair that Oretha was sewing into the rows of braids on Blessing’s head.

Layer by layer, fake hair is sewn into Blessing's tight braids.

It took a while to see just how she was doing it. Starting at the back of her head she sewed in a layer of artificial hair but running the curved needle through the braided rows on Blessing’s head. As she finished one layer she would start sewing another layer about an inch up higher toward the crown of Blessing’s head. She repeated this process several times with each layer of hair covering the previous layers.

Eventually she had artificial hair covering Blessings entire head. It looked like real hair and you could not see where the individual layers had been attached. Oretha combed and brushed the hair and it looked so real. You would never guess that it was artificial hair at all. In spite of the poor light I had to try to take pictures with Eileen’s phone. Blessing was so delighted with the end result. The rows of braids were completely hidden and it looked just like her natural hair. Oretha told us this is done commonly among African women who are very particular about their hair.