Who is MekhiEl?

Mekhi El formerly known as Michael Turner Lewis, is a Brooklynite. He grew up in Clinton Hill, Crown Heights and currently lives in Bedford Stuyvesant. He is a free thinker, approaching life with curiosity and love. He is the Founder and CEO  of Rapha Art Life Center, located in Bedford Stuyvesant Brooklyn. The Center is called “Rapha,” a term that can be traced as far back as to ancient Hebrew - it means healing and restoration. Mekhi El knows that holistic healing removes blockages which limits our genius capacity and productivity. With an inner-standing that we are divine beings, he felt the tug to return to school to study theology.

He is a graduate of Union Theology Seminary at Columbia University. He earned a Masters of Art with a concentration in Inter-Religious Engagement. There, MekhiEl affirmed his belief that creativity, healing, spirituality and social justice are connected. Currently, he partners with artists, educators and indigenous healing practitioners to create a series of programming centered around indigenous healing modalities. He knows that as a healed and whole people, we can confront intersectional structures through a holistic lens; and with greater intentionality and efficiency, we can build our own ecosystems with greater emphasis on creativity, spirituality and inter-connectivity. MekhiEl believes we must be creative in our transformation while acknowledging and honoring what has been created by our ancestors. Collectively, we are prophetic voices of modernity and must collaborate, coordinate and build on that foundation. In addition to the aforementioned, MekhiEl is an inspirational speaker, vocalist, composer and soon-to-be author. His motto for abundant living is “Life Loves You - Love Life Back!".