To cut dead means to refuse to acknowledge another with the intent to punish. Gregory Ellison says that this is the plight of African American young men. They are stigmatized with limited opportunity for education and disproportionate incarceration. At the same time, they are often resistant to help from social institutions including the church. Greg Ellison, Associate Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling, Candler School of Theology, Emory University.