Mary Mancini speaks following her election as chairwoman of the Tennessee Democratic Party in Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2015. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig) NASHVILLE -- An email today from Tennessee Democratic Party Chair Mary Mancini that links last week's shooting death of nine people at a historically black Charleston, S.C., church to the 1940 murder of a West Tennessee NAACP activist is drawing fire from state Republicans because it includes a link where readers can contribute to the Democratic Party.
State Republican Party Chairman Ryan Haynes charged in a statement that Democrats "are seeking to raise money off of a tragedy. They're trying to profit from a horrific situation. That is inappropriate in every sense of the word. It's disrespectful to a community that is still living this horror. It is highly disrespectful to those who lost their lives last Wednesday night in Charleston."
As "Americans of all colors from all over the nation are outraged by this act of hate and we mourn," Haynes said, state Democrats are "pleading for money with divisions a day after 20,000 individuals joined together in Charleston. The Tennessee Democratic Party has sunk to a new low."
Mancini accused the state GOP of "once again manufacturing fake outrage. Our statement addressed the root cause of this tragedy, racism in America. The TNDP will not apologize for acknowledging this fact."
She said the email sent out earlier today "used our standard email template."
"There was no fundraising language in the body of the email," Mancini said.
That included a red click-on box at the bottom of the missive which states "Invest in the TNDP." Clicking on the box takes viewers to a site where they can contribute to the party.
The site doesn't mention the Charleston shootings nor the subject of Mancini's email -- a memorial ceremony she attended over the weekend for Elbert Williams, who was killed 75 years ago in Brownsville, Tenn., as the NAACP activist sought to register black voters.
In the email, Mancini said "it was impossible not to draw a straight line from the murder of Mr. Williams to the shootings in Charleston. And yet, we refuse to do so. Some are already treating this as an isolated incident, much the same way in which we treat every mass shooting in this country - as an isolated incident. We forget history so quickly."
Mancini said later in her response to Haynes that "we are committed to calling out and eliminating racism across our state and if the TNGOP finds that divisive, then it raises serious doubts about their commitment to creating a better Tennessee for all Tennesseans."
South Carolina authorities have charged avowed white supremacist Dylann Roof with the Charleston shootings.