Inspirational, challenging, and mesmerizing.
In a story where the fight for civil rights tested the limits of courage and nonviolence, Professor Martin Dobrow brings one of the movement’s most turbulent chapters to life. On Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026 the Springfield College community gathered to celebrate Original City, Original Sin, Dobrow’s account of the violence and resistance that shaped St. Augustine, Florida, during the civil rights movement—and to honor the professor whose impact extends far beyond the pages of a book.
Original City, Original Sin explores the violent 1963-1964 civil rights campaign in St. Augustine, Florida. Dobrow details how Martin Luther King Jr.’s commitment to nonviolence caused him to face serious threats from the Ku Klux Klan while the Civil Rights Movement hung in the balance. Through 370 pages of deeply illustrated storytelling, Dobrow ropes the reader into the events of the civil rights movement.
Former Springfield College professor and Dobrow’s wife, Missy-Marie Montgomery, explains, “Well, this has been the passion project for him. It’s been kind of the book of his life, and I hope that’s the case. But I worked with him really closely on the book, and what makes Marty’s sense of history important or makes it wonderful is that he tells everybody stories. Like the people in this book, you fall in love with them, and they have horrible things happen, or wonderful things happen, but you really get to know them.”
Dobrow’s book signing and reception attracted not only proud students, but COSJ alumni as well. Active students and alumni, spanning the graduating class of 1964, participated in this book event, bringing generations of this program together in one room.
Dobrow has been on Alden Street since 1999, where he has served as a mentor for students and an advisor for the Springfield Student. It is clear that Dobrow means a lot to the campus community and beyond, as so many came to support him.
“People who are flying in here, spending some big chunks of money to get here. Some of them got up at two or three in the morning so they could be here. That was just incredibly touching to see,” Dobrow said. “I see people who really like buying into the mission of journalism. They believe in it. They understand that it’s fundamentally important to our democracy, and that gives me hope.”
Beyond campus, Dobrow is the author of three books: Knocking on Heaven’s Doors, Going Bigtime, and now Original City, Original Sin. Dobrow also did his freelance work with the Boston Globe, The Atlantic, and ESPN. Six of his stories have earned recognition in The Best American Sports Writing series. Dobrow’s main focus is on civil rights, journalistic ethics, feature writing, sports and social justice.
Dobrow is adored by students. Dobrow has served students with kindness, knowledge, and the belief that they can do anything they set their minds to.
In the closing statements of Dobrow’s book signing, Springfield College president Mary-Beth Cooper stated, “How important Marty is to be part of our campus,” and “You’re [Martin] a part of our history we will never forget.”
Readers can find Original City, Original Sin in bookstores near you as well as online via Amazon, Strand Books, or directly from Cambridge University Press. Or, check out Dobrow’s podcast, produced by fellow COSJ professor, Jeremy Menard, Three by Fifteen to learn more about Original City, Original Sin.