Sen. Malika Sanders-Fortier, D-Selma, addressed possible deputy senators at a meeting on Monday night at Wallace Community College-Selma.

Fortier began the meeting by talking about how the vision was inspired by what is called a Grassroots Democracy.

“A Grassroots Democracy that values every human voice and our collective good in nature as a part of the political processes that helps to live and build the Enlightened Beloved Community where love is the foundation of every institution, cultural, dynamic and system,” said Fortier. “The mission of the deputy senators is to help citizens take individual and collective responsibility for the improvement of our community through legislative and community building processes that lead to the building of the Enlightened Beloved Community.”

Fortier also listed the goals for the formation of the deputy senators.

“We want to create spaces where citizens can inform one another about the issues of our community,” she said. “We want to create spaces for citizens to be a part of a visioning process and set a community agenda based on research on information. We want to create contexts where citizens ask elected officials to specifically work for the needs of their community based on information and vision, and we want to develop community based systems where citizens keep elected officials accountable to the community agenda and the vision of building the Enlightened Beloved Community.”

Fortier said one main issue that the district faces is division.

“We are too divided,” she said. “We need to work together. We need to find a way to work together. I need to be in touch with all of you … we are not supporting the best way we can. We need to have a deliberative process between us. I use deliberative process as a debate because I don’t think our community can afford anymore my opinion versus your opinion. We have got to do some things differently.”

Fortier also talked about what a Beloved Community is.

“It is a community based on love,” she said. “Not just a feeling or just talking about love, but we know that we are to love in deed and not just speech.”