Bridging Divides Through Everyday Hospitality: JMU's Donna Fickes Offers Civic Skills for the Holiday Season

Donna J. Fickes, a hospitality educator at James Madison University, reframes hospitality as an essential civic practice that strengthens democracy through everyday interactions, particularly as Americans navigate politically tense holiday gatherings. Her approach connects traditional hospitality behaviors—creating welcoming environments where people feel seen and safe—with democratic skills needed in family dinners, neighborhood interactions, and public spaces. Fickes offers practical recommendations aligned with NCDD's mission: approaching differing viewpoints with curiosity rather than combativeness, using simple gestures of welcome to counter polarization, and cultivating micro-hospitality habits like listening and making space for others. By positioning hospitality as an accessible civic skill set rather than just service industry expertise, she demonstrates how civic engagement can be woven into daily life, emphasizing the relational foundation that makes productive dialogue and deliberation possible beyond formal forums.

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​As families across the United States prepare for holiday gatherings amid ongoing political tension and social polarization, a hospitality educator at James Madison University is reframing how we think about welcoming others—not just as a social nicety, but as an essential civic practice that strengthens democracy from the ground up.
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Donna J. Fickes, a hospitality and leadership educator at JMU's Hart School of Hospitality, Sport and Recreation Management, brings a compelling perspective to the challenges many Americans face this season: how to create spaces where people with differing viewpoints can come together without sacrificing connection or dignity. Her approach centers on a powerful idea—that hospitality behaviors are fundamentally civic acts that can bridge divides and reduce conflict in our everyday lives.

Hospitality as Democracy in Action

Fickes makes a vital connection between the practices we associate with welcoming guests and the skills needed to sustain democratic communities. At its core, hospitality creates environments where people feel welcome, seen, and safe. When applied intentionally to family gatherings, neighborhood interactions, and even retail spaces during the busy shopping season, these same principles become practical tools for navigating difference and building belonging.

This vision aligns deeply with NCDD's commitment to fostering dialogue and deliberation across lines of difference. While much attention in civic engagement focuses on structured forums and formal processes, Fickes reminds us that democracy also lives in the small moments—the eye contact we make with strangers, the patience we extend in crowded stores, the curiosity we bring to conversations with relatives who see the world differently.
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Her recommendations for the holiday season offer concrete ways to practice what NCDD has long championed: approaching differing viewpoints with genuine curiosity rather than combativeness, creating inclusive spaces where all voices can be heard, and using simple gestures of welcome to counter polarization. These micro-hospitality habits—pausing to listen, expressing gratitude, making space for others—are skills anyone can cultivate, regardless of training or background.

From Tension to Connection

​Research increasingly highlights belonging and social cohesion as cultural priorities, yet translating these values into everyday behaviors remains a challenge for many. Fickes offers a roadmap that connects the abstract goal of reducing polarization to the immediate, tangible actions we can take when hosting dinner or standing in checkout lines alongside our neighbors.

By framing hospitality not just as service industry expertise but as a civic skill set accessible to all, Fickes expands our understanding of what dialogue and deliberation can look like. Democracy doesn't only happen in town halls and community forums—it happens at kitchen tables, in shared public spaces, and in the countless small interactions that either reinforce division or open pathways to understanding.
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For practitioners in the NCDD network, this perspective offers valuable insight into how civic engagement can be woven into the fabric of daily life. The principles Fickes articulates complement formal dialogue and deliberation practices by emphasizing the relational foundation that makes productive conversations possible in the first place.

Learn more about Donna Fickes's approach and additional expert guidance for navigating the holiday season at: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/12/03/3199342/0/en/JMU-experts-available-to-provide-essential-holiday-tips.html