American youth do not have equal access to academic success and life achievements. In particular, low-income male students of color are disproportionately failing in school, filling prisons, and enduring the consequences of low social capital and poor investment in their futures. Unfortunately, many young people cope with poverty and life in high-crime neighborhoods by joining gangs and pursuing other antisocial behaviors that compound their personal challenges. The fraternal interdependence offered by gangs makes youth who have been exposed to multiple risk factors vulnerable to recruitment. To prevent gang affiliation, this article suggests that afterschool programs need to foster practices and adult-youth relationships that recreate the group identification and social status that gangs often offer to marginalized youth.