Althea Thomas served as organist for Martin Luther King Jr.’s congregation at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama from 1955 unti King announcing his departure for Atlanta in December, 1959. Her performances while wearing these shoes of gospel anthems such as “Precious Lord, Take My Hand” inspired King and his congregationevery Sunday during the landmark Montgomery bus boycott.
A pair of black tap shoes made by Bloch, modified to play organ bass pedals. Thomas removed the metal taps on the bottoms of the shoes to use them as organ shoes.
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.