Mekahel

BOLD is proud to introduce you to Mekahel François, our Maroon Space Director of Facilities and Operations.  Mekahel is a proud sixth-generation Vodouyizan born in the heart of New Orleans who co-founded Root Story Films and SenJak Rose Media, whose movies have been featured on platforms ranging from the iconic Nasdaq & Thomson Reuters screens of New York's Times Square to viral social media campaigns.

The team checked in with Mekahel styled in his signature look—a fedora and cigar in hand—on our new home land in Georgia to talk about how he’s settling in at BOLD, dreaming and leading operations on the land: 

“I first learned about BOLD from other organizers and friends, one of which is now my husband. I saw the land as an opportunity to leverage different resources to share our collective story through land ownership.” Mekahel shared his interest and vision with BOLD’s Executive Director, Denise Perry, and joined BOLD in 2023 in this exciting new role weaving together over a decade of experience in film production, organizing, business strategy, and creative direction. 

Mekahel cherishes the opportunity to infuse the living legacy of Maroon communities with modern strategies for the current and next generations of the Black left. “Our Maroon Space holds history, stories, and possibilities [and] as an organization we need to learn how to navigate our power and relationships in order to tell our story; this land is in the rural south where our history and movement began; [it] holds history in many nooks and crannies [and] can share the history and the culture of the south from a new perspective. I am excited to learn about its history to not only leverage it, but celebrate it with respect”. 

As a powerful and proud Black man, southerner, and member of the LGBTQIA+ community Mekahel understands that BOLD’s Maroon Space as an important step towards Black Liberation and acknowledges the role of Queer folks in movement and the important work and contributions of the community. His hope is that the land amplifies the role that Queer folks have in rural communities which is often silenced, overlooked, and undervalued: “... the land shifts the scale of our dreaming”, he says; “The Maroon Space is a safe place for us to practice and rest as Black and Queer folks. We can create a culture and a system where we can practice our skills, grow, and navigate together in a natural way”. 

On the operations front, BOLD’s team and staff members are facing new challenges as new land stewards for collective good.  However, Mekahel is confident in the strategy and excited about the opportunity to develop our vision for freedom. He  says  “The land needs a lot of tending to with renovations and upgrades to make. We are in the process of developing policies and procedures for us at BOLD and our partners for tending the land.”

Despite the challenges, significant progress has been made since acquiring the land. BOLD trainings and programs are already taking place on the land, the farm is fruitful and systems are being implemented. “Everything you need is already here!! There are so many parts of the land that we have to discover and learn from. When I am here, the ancestors are saying to look closer, dig deeper, and if you think you’re looking close enough…GET CLOSER to find all the gifts the land has to offer”. One of the ways that BOLD intends to leverage this land for collective good is by utilizing the gifts of the land for the local community: “Food scarcity and access is a continuous issue in black and brown communities. We especially saw this during the pandemic. With all the resources the land can offer, it will be beneficial to learn the skills needed to harvest our foods to give back to our community.”

In the meantime, Mekahel enjoys the simple pleasures of life  on the farm including experiencing the joy and awe of BOLDers first experiences on the land: “There is some anxiety that folks have when they come out to the land if they either have not been in the south or the rural south. [During our recent training] there were two young brothers, both lived in cities, neither one of them from the south [being chased by chickens] and all I could hear was laughter, #BlackBoyJoy [...] these two young brothers were able to be present and enjoy being in their bodies because of the chickens. There is an instantaneous connection with the land for people who come here…an opening relief and awakening when stepping on the land. It’s not something that you can buy.”

For sure the land is both a humbling and a liberating experience but it is also a living breathing entity holding joy, trials and farm animals —the Maroon Space is farm for real y’all and “there are some [animal] rebels in the group, and they will bust out [of the paddock] and they’re pack animals, so they all follow. You can turn around and there’s 60, 80,100 sheep and goats just looking at you [mimics goat bleat sound]. They’re cute as pie but they will get out and get into stuff and leave forget-me-nots. They are representatives of Freedom on the land”.

BOLD is excited to press forward unraveling the marvel and potential of our new home in South Georgia. “Our space has so much to offer our community from history lessons, to fresh peaches and pears, and the occasional stand-off between our chicken and ducks. Oftentimes the land speaks for itself and allows people to be present in the moment of sharing experiences in the REAL south.” BOLD is grateful for the deep commitment and experience that our brother Mekahel will continue to share with BOLD and the Maroon Space.