African-American leaders plan Capitol Hill march

African-American leaders are organizing a march that will end at the State Capitol this month to protest what they believe has been the state's determination to make it "tougher for African-Americans to enjoy the minimum benefits and social justice guaranteed under the Constitution and [by] the state of Tennessee."

The move comes after the state told minority-owned Access MedPLUS that it intends to terminate its TennCare contract. The state said two weeks ago if it does not receive financial statements from the company by Oct. 9, it intends to end the contract with them Oct. 31.

Acess MedPLUS has 270,000 enrollees and receives $38.9 million monthly from state and federal sources.

The company, in a press release, said the state is trying to "torpedo" it.

The Greater Nashville Black Chamber of Commerce (GNBCC), which is organizing the protest, said it is "marshal[ing] all the forces at our disposal to overturn" the state's plan to terminate the managed care organization's contract. The release was issued by Rosetta Miller-Perry, publisher of the Tennessee Tribune and president of the GNBCC, and the Rev. Neal Darby Jr., executive director of the GNBCC.

" ... The state has declared war on its own African-Americans, low-income and working poor, as well as senior citizens and everyone else served by Access MedPLUS,