One Step A La Vez is a left-of-center community organization that hosts after-school programming and other programs for at-risk youth in Fillmore, California. The group’s programs, in addition to after-school programs, include behavioral health outreach and engagement, violence prevention, and intervention services. The group also conducts advocacy on left-of-center political issues, especially around immigration and environmental topics.

The group is based in Fillmore, California, and serves the Santa Clara Valley, which it defines as the cities of Fillmore, Piru, and Santa Paula. The name of the group means “One Step at a Time” in Spanish and is a reference to the substantial Spanish-speaking population in the area. ¹

The group created controversy in 2023 by hosting a drag performer at an LGBT Pride event that included children. ²

Background

One Step A La Vez was founded in 2007 by Lynn Edmonds and a group of teens in Fillmore, California, to create after-school programming and a safe place for teens amid issues such as poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, and family violence. The founders of the group created the One Step Center, which acted as a physical community center and after-school program site to provide psychological health services, counseling, and various prevention and intervention activities. ³

Activities

Services provided by One Step A La Vez to teenage participants in its programs include after-school homework help, meals, public speaking classes, career planning, field trips, and scholarships. ⁴ The One Step Teen Center is also the organization’s physical location and is open to students aged 13 to 19. ⁵

Public Policy Advocacy

One Step A la Vez operates a program called One Step Adelante that “centers and amplifies the voices of youth of color, youth in the juvenile justice system, and LGBTQ+ youth.” Through the program, the organization encourages its youth participants to support policy issues including opposing logging in nearby forests, “demand safety from gun violence at school without militarizing the campus,” “reduce ethnic disparities in the juvenile justice system, goal of zero detention and get a Youth Advisory Council of formerly system-involved youth,” and “get out the Chicanx/Latinx/Indigenous vote and cultivate brown leadership & electeds in Fillmore.” ⁶

The program also conducts lobbying efforts “aimed at dismantling transphobia and educating the impact of heteronormativity” and lobbied local schools to allow for “keyless access to all gender bathrooms for Santa Paula High School students” and “books added to FHS library written by queer authors and people of color.” ⁷

Drag Show Controversy

In June 2023, One Step A La Vez hosted the LGBT Pride Resource Fair at its teen center, which included a performance from a drag performer. The event garnered controversy and led to several individuals and elected officials in the area making statements about the event at an ensuing city council meeting, although it was not affiliated with the Fillmore City government or local schools. ⁸

1. “Our History.” One Step A La Vez. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.osalv.org/about-our-history.html
2. Wilson, Alex. “Discord over Drag: Controversy brews in Fillmore over drag performance at Pride Resource Fair.” VC Reporter. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.vcreporter.com/features/discord-over-drag-controversy-brews-in-fillmore-over-drag-performance-at-pride-resource-fair/article_e7bdc0b2-321a-11ee-84f8-fff90abf0d97.html
3. “Our History.” One Step A La Vez. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.osalv.org/about-our-history.html
4. “Our Activities That Bring Unique Solutions.” One Step A La Vez. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.osalv.org/programs-unique-solutions-213587.html
5. “One Step Teen Center.” One Step A La Vez. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.osalv.org/onestepteencenter.html
6. “One Step Adelante.” One Step A La Vez. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.osalv.org/onestepadelante.html
7. “One Step Adelante.” One Step A La Vez. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.osalv.org/onestepadelante.html
8. Wilson, Alex. “Discord over Drag: Controversy brews in Fillmore over drag performance at Pride Resource Fair.” VC Reporter. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.vcreporter.com/features/discord-over-drag-controversy-brews-in-fillmore-over-drag-performance-at-pride-resource-fair/article_e7bdc0b2-321a-11ee-84f8-fff90abf0d97.html