African American adolescents from families with low levels of human capital (i.e., caregiver level of education) are at risk for poor early adult outcomes. The current study examined the relationships among 48 African American high school students' literacy performance (e.g., reading and vocabulary), their implicit views of intelligence, their caregivers' implicit views of intelligence, and their caregivers' level of education. Results indicated positive correlations between literacy performance and students' implicit views of intelligence only for those students whose caregivers were not college educated. Implications for investments in human capital in the current political era are discussed. (Contains 4 tables and 3 figures.)