About the Robert Coles “Call of Service” Lecture & Award

What it the Coles Lecture & Award?
The Robert Coles “Call of Service” Lecture and Award is hosted annually by the Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA) at Harvard College to celebrate individuals whose work exemplifies a commitment to service and social change. In 2007, PBHA established this award and lecture to honor visionary public servants whose work paves paths to justice and inspires action across generations.

Who is Robert Coles?
Named after Dr. Robert Coles, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, child psychiatrist, and longtime PBHA advisor, the lecture lifts up voices that inspire civic engagement and moral leadership.

About Deborah N. Archer

Deborah Archer, a distinguished civil rights lawyer, legal scholar, and advocate, exemplifies the principles at the heart of PBHA’s mission: empowering communities, dismantling systemic inequities, and nurturing the next generation of leaders. Through her scholarship and leadership, Deborah has advanced racial justice, transportation equity, and civil rights with a deep commitment to community-driven change. Like PBHA, she believes in the power of education, grassroots organizing, and youth leadership to reimagine a more equitable society. Her work reminds us justice is not just a legal concept, but a lived reality we must build together.

Event Details:

📅 Date: Friday, November 7, 2025

🕖 Time: 6:30 PM ET (Doors open at 6pm)

📍 Location: 1446 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138 + Livestream

🎟️ Free admission