Jewel Thais-Williams, a UCLA alumnus, the founder of LGBTQ+ nightclub Jewel’s Catch One and an HIV/AIDS activist, died July 7. She was 86. Thais-Williams opened Catch One on West Pico Boulevard in 1973 to serve as “a sacred space” for underserved communities of color, said Donald Kilhefner, who was a close friend of Thais-Williams for more than 40 years. Read more...
Photo: Jewel Thais-Williams, a UCLA alumnus and HIV/AIDS activist, is pictured. Thais-Williams died at 86 after creating safe spaces as the founder of LGBTQ+ nightclub Jewel’s Catch One. (Courtesy of APLA Health)






