Too Many African American Men 'Cut Dead'

Despite their hopes and aspirations for the future, too many African American young men are still being rendered mute and invisible by society, says Candler's Gregory Ellison. His new book, Cut Dead But Still Alive: Caring for African American Young Men, (Abingdon Press, 2013) is a call for action and a blueprint for response.

Ellison, assistant professor of pastoral care and counseling, invites readers to enter the lives of five young men, chronicling their journeys from a sense of invisibility to a sense of understanding of both themselves and the world around them.

In describing the plight of African American young men, Ellison used a 19th century phrase, "cut dead," an expression from the writings of psychologist William James that touches on the idea of humans as social beings.

"James asserted that it would be a cruel and fiendish punishment for any person to go unnoticed or unseen, to be made invisible," says Ellison, a 1999 graduate of the Emory College of Arts and Sciences. "James recognized that people would rather be tortured than to be 'cut dead'--deliberately ignored or snubbed completely.

Read the full story on the Emory website: bit.ly/10jgbd7

Watch an interview with Gregory Ellison: bit.ly/12JEoZJ

Read Wayne Meisel's Huffington Post column about meeting Ellison: huff.to/191Jcgx