For nearly a decade, I have been bringing people together in coffeehouses and other community spaces to have conversations about issues that are often difficult to discuss. The topics have ranged from racial tensions and community concerns to politics and other issues that can quickly divide us.

The idea behind these gatherings is actually quite simple. Before social media became such a central part of our lives, people were more likely to encounter one another in public spaces. We sat across from each other, talked, listened, disagreed, and continued to live together as neighbors. Today, it is much easier to retreat into digital spaces where we primarily encounter people who think as we do.

I believe we need to recover something of that old public square. That does not mean avoiding difficult subjects or pretending our differences do not matter. It means learning how to remain in relationship with one another even when we disagree.

Beginning with Human Dignity

The Civil Discourse Coffeehouse Series has already expanded into four Arkansas communities: Conway, Little Rock, Jonesboro, and Springdale. Each of these communities is different, and I do not believe meaningful civic work can simply be imposed from the top down. It grows through relationships among people who live, work, worship, serve, and raise families together.

The conversations I facilitate begin with a foundational commitment that every person who comes to the table possesses inherent human dignity. From there, we establish expectations that make genuine conversation possible. We listen without contempt. We do not engage in name-calling, ridicule, or personal attacks. We make room for different political and ideological perspectives. Most importantly, we come prepared not simply to speak, but also to listen.

Over the years, I have watched Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Libertarians, and others sit around the same table and discover that disagreement does not have to prevent connection. Beneath our political differences are often shared concerns about our families, our livelihoods, our communities, and the kind of future we want.

Sometimes the most encouraging part of a gathering happens after the formal conversation ends. People exchange phone numbers. They continue talking. They make plans to have lunch or coffee together. Those moments remind me that civil discourse is about more than conducting a good conversation. It is also about rebuilding relationships and strengthening community.

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Bringing Civil Discourse to Campus

This fall, I have the opportunity to extend this work into another important setting. With support from a grant from the Interactivity Foundation, I will launch “The Civil Discourse Project” at Philander Smith University.

Beginning in September 2026 and continuing monthly through May 2027, the project will provide opportunities for faculty, staff, and students to gather and navigate complex social and political questions through thoughtful and dignified dialogue.

The project is organized around ten foundational principles:

Dignity, Disagreement, Reflection, Listening, Curiosity, Humility, Respect, Understanding, Community, and Reconciliation.

These principles do not ask us to eliminate disagreement, since disagreement is inevitable in a diverse society. Instead, they ask us to consider how we will engage one another when disagreement occurs.

Higher education has an important role to play in preparing students not only to enter their professions, but also to participate thoughtfully in a democratic society. The ability to listen, ask good questions, think critically, and engage people with whom we disagree is an essential part of that preparation.

Seeing More Than Our Side

One idea that has shaped my approach to civil discourse is the importance of intellectual humility. John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty reminds us of the value of testing our ideas against competing perspectives. I sometimes illustrate this with something as simple as a cup sitting on a table. From where I am sitting, I see one side of the cup. Someone across from me sees something different. Another person may see the handle that I cannot see at all. My view is not necessarily wrong. It is simply incomplete.

The same can be true of the way we understand complicated social and political questions. Listening to another person’s perspective does not require us to abandon our convictions. It does require enough humility to consider that someone else may see something we do not.

This is one reason I value the work of Braver Angels. Courageous citizenship requires more than holding strong beliefs. It also requires a willingness to encounter people who see the world differently, to listen with curiosity, and to continue building community together.

Building Civil Discourse from the Ground Up

The work in coffeehouses and at Philander Smith University is one part of a broader effort to create more opportunities for civil discourse throughout our state. In expanding this kind of community-based work, organizations such as Braver Angels can play an important role. They can provide skills, structure, connections, and support for people who are already working to strengthen their communities.

That kind of bottom-up civic engagement gives me hope. There are people throughout Arkansas who want something better than the division and contempt that too often characterize our public life. Many are already doing the work. The opportunity before us is to connect those efforts, create more places where meaningful conversations can happen, and invite more Arkansans to participate.

So, I would offer a simple challenge to anyone who has grown weary of the arguments taking place on social media. The next time someone says something online that frustrates you, resist the temptation to fire off another comment. Instead, consider sending that person a message and asking if they would be willing to meet you for coffee in a public place. Sit across the table. Ask a question. Listen to the answer. Share what you believe without diminishing the person sitting across from you.

We will not resolve every disagreement over a cup of coffee. But we might begin to understand one another a little better. We might even discover that the person we thought of primarily as an opponent is also our neighbor. And that is a good place to start.

To contact Dr. Fletcher about the possibility of facilitating a civil dialogue coffeehouse conversation in a community near you, email him at arrowmakerar@gmail.com.

The project will take place monthly from September 2026 through May 2027 and will be open to all Philander Smith University faculty, staff, and students.

The Civil Discourse Project is an initiative developed by Dr. Fletcher to create spaces where people with different perspectives can engage difficult conversations while remaining grounded in human dignity.

Each monthly gathering will provide participants with an opportunity to explore contemporary social and political issues, listen to perspectives different from their own, and develop practical skills for engaging disagreement without dehumanizing one another

Dr. Fletcher expressed his enthusiasm about bringing the project to the university:

“I am thankful to bring The Civil Discourse Project to Philander Smith University. I believe this will be a very helpful resource for our faculty, staff, and students to engage with difficult topics related to our current social and political climate and develop the tools for dignified and reasonable engagement.”

The discussions will emphasize ten foundational principles of civil discourse:

Dignity. Disagreement. Reflection. Listening. Curiosity. Humility. Respect. Understanding. Community. Reconciliation.

Rather than seeking to eliminate disagreement, the project will encourage participants to develop the ability to remain engaged with one another when disagreement occurs.

“Higher education has an important role to play in preparing students not only to enter their professions, but to participate thoughtfully in a democratic society,” Fletcher said. “The ability to listen, ask questions, think critically, and engage people with whom we disagree is an essential part of that preparation.”

About The Civil Discourse Project

The Civil Discourse Project is an initiative project founded on the belief reasonable people, grounded in dignity, can engage very difficult conversations. Through community forums, coffeehouse conversations, podcasts, writing, and facilitated discussion groups, the initiative seeks to strengthen civic relationships by creating opportunities for people to engage difficult issues while recognizing the dignity of every person at the table.

Share Reflections on Life and Society by Phillip D. Fletcher

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Listen now: Civil Discourse in a Fractured America – Episode 5

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Drawing from participant reflections and post-discussion insights, this episode explores what civil discourse looks like when it is practiced as a moral discipline rather than a performance. The discussion raises critical questions about disagreement, truth, courage, and the responsibility we share to engage one another without dehumanization.

This episode is part of the ongoing series Civil Discourse in a Fractured America and offers a grounded reflection on what becomes possible when people commit to dignity while disagreement unfolds.

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