With the goal of understanding and improving Black male literacy to help Black males thrive and excel, this study explores masculine practices of literacy in a group of first and second grade students. The authors found that the young Black males demonstrated an understanding of linguistic complexities in both literary texts and social interactions. Students engaged in multiple expressions of Black masculine literacy. While all of these expressions served a functional purpose, only some of the expressions of Black masculine literacy, especially expressions of alternative masculinities that did not conform to social norms, were linked to academic achievement.