Legacy On The Mountain
A film about music, memory, and belonging in Black Asheville.
Legacy on the Mountain follows the John R. Hayes High-Steppin’ Majorettes and Drum Corps while tracing the legacy of Elder John R. Hayes and the community institutions that carry Black Asheville’s memory forward.
LEGACY
ON THE
MOUNTAIN
MUSIC, MEMORY, AND BELONGING IN BLACK ASHEVILLE
LEGACY
ON THE
MOUNTAIN
MUSIC, MEMORY, AND BELONGING IN BLACK ASHEVILLE
Legacy On The Mountain
Legacy on the Mountain: Music, Memory, and Belonging in Black Asheville is a feature documentary that treats the John R. Hayes High-Steppin’ Majorettes and Drum Corps as a living archive of Black Asheville, connecting music, youth leadership, and belonging across generations.
The film braids two timelines: one grounded in interviews, archives, and community memory, and one following the present-day band through the 2025 to 2026 cycle.
Legacy on the Mountain: Music, Memory, and Belonging in Black Asheville is a feature documentary that treats the John R. Hayes High-Steppin’ Majorettes and Drum Corps as a living archive of Black Asheville, connecting music, youth leadership, and belonging across generations.
The film braids two timelines: one grounded in interviews, archives, and community memory, and one following the present-day band through the 2025 to 2026 cycle.
Legacy on the Mountain: Music, Memory, and Belonging in Black Asheville is a feature documentary that treats the John R. Hayes High-Steppin’ Majorettes and Drum Corps as a living archive of Black Asheville, connecting music, youth leadership, and belonging across generations.
The film braids two timelines: one grounded in interviews, archives, and community memory, and one following the present-day band through the 2025 to 2026 cycle.
WHO IS JOHN R HAYES?
John R. Hayes was a builder, mentor, and community leader whose work helped shape Black Asheville across generations. Born in Birmingham in 1942, Hayes moved to Asheville in the mid-1970s and helped co-found the Hillcrest Enrichment Program with Sophie Dixon in 1977. His civic footprint included youth development, housing advocacy, community media, and long-term service to Black Asheville.
Today, his legacy continues through the band that bears his name.
WHO IS JOHN R HAYES?
John R. Hayes was a builder, mentor, and community leader whose work helped shape Black Asheville across generations. Born in Birmingham in 1942, Hayes moved to Asheville in the mid-1970s and helped co-found the Hillcrest Enrichment Program with Sophie Dixon in 1977. His civic footprint included youth development, housing advocacy, community media, and long-term service to Black Asheville.
Today, his legacy continues through the band that bears his name.
A Living Archive of Black Asheville
The John R. Hayes High-Steppin’ Majorettes and Drum Corps carries Black Asheville’s memory through discipline, performance, mentorship, and pride. Young people learn how to represent community, honor legacy, and move together with purpose.
From Stephens-Lee to Hillcrest to Today
The film places the band inside a longer story of Black Asheville’s public memory. Archival imagery from Stephens-Lee, memorabilia from the Stephens-Lee Alumni Room, and interviews with community witnesses help trace how excellence, discipline, and belonging moved across generations, even as institutions and neighborhoods changed.
From Stephens-Lee to Hillcrest to Today
The film places the band inside a longer story of Black Asheville’s public memory. Archival imagery from Stephens-Lee, memorabilia from the Stephens-Lee Alumni Room, and interviews with community witnesses help trace how excellence, discipline, and belonging moved across generations, even as institutions and neighborhoods changed.
Help Carry the
Legacy Forward
Your donation helps resource continued production of Legacy on the Mountain and the resident-centered storytelling needed to honor Elder Hayes’s legacy with care. Support helps cover filming, editing, archival work, event documentation, community-centered outreach, and the production labor required to bring this story to wider audiences.
Film Team
Kai Lendzion supports the project through cinematography, production strategy, and visual storytelling.
Consulting Producer + Cinematographer
Kai Lendzion supports the project through cinematography, production strategy, and visual storytelling.
Kai Lendzion
Sekou Coleman is leading the film’s creative development, interviews, production strategy, and community-centered storytelling approach.
Producer / Director
Sekou Coleman
Sekou Coleman is leading the film’s creative development, interviews, production strategy, and community-centered storytelling approach.
Community Home and Steward
Umoja Health, Wellness and Justice Collective is the community home and steward for this work, supporting youth development, cultural memory, and community care through the continuation of Elder John R. Hayes’s legacy.
Community Home and Steward
Umoja Health, Wellness and Justice Collective is the community home and steward for this work, supporting youth development, cultural memory, and community care through the continuation of Elder John R. Hayes’s legacy.