I remember my first visit to Jewel’s Catch One. It was L.A.’s Black Pride weekend. We had mapped out our plans for the weekend before getting on the road. Friday night, Friday afternoon arrive in L.A. and check into the hotel. Friday evening, head to Malibu beach (where most of the weekend festivities would be happening). Friday night, go to “The Catch.”
People
who frequented this infamous black gay club called it simply the Catch. I have to tell you, walking into that bar was
like walking into the Promised Land. Everywhere there were black same-gender
loving folks dancing, chatting, smiling – just living their authentic lives. The dj was playing the hottest house
music. And that night, I saw Martha Wash
perform live on stage. It was a night I
will never forget.
Sometime
later I heard that the Catch had become a straight bar. And the next thing I heard was that it was
actually closing down. I knew that this
signaled the end of something very special.
The Catch was a place where many LGBTQ black folks went to find something. Some went to find sex. Some went to find friends. Some went to find a congregation of like-minded
folks where they could get lost in the crowd and just be.
The documentary Jewel’s Catch One, sits down with Jewel Thais Williams, the founder of the Catch One and examines the rise and fall of the establishment and Jewel’s opening and management of the non-profit organization the Village Health Foundation. It is currently streaming on Netflix. You cans see the trailer below:
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