[citation needed] Shortly after high school, Thais-Williams moved to Los Angeles and attended UCLA, eventually opening a clothing store alongside her sister.
[5] Soon after acquiring the club, white customers stopped patronizing the establishment, and employees quit, not wanting to work for a black woman.
A man named "Tex", who Thais-Williams described affectionately as an old "redneck" from Texas,[3] mentored her and helped her through the initial phases of setting up her business.
Due to the high rate of preventable diseases, such as diabetes and obesity, in minority populations, Jewel opened a non-profit called the Village Health Foundation to educate lower-income communities on nutrition and live a more healthy lifestyle.
[9] To honor her contributions to the LGBT community, Thais-Williams was appointed the Grand Marshall of the 2016 Los Angeles Pride Festival.