Exclusionary discipline practices such as suspension and the disproportionality that exists among ethnicities have been a topic of interest for researchers for over 30 years. The purpose of this qualitative narrative study was to explore the perceptions of five African American males between the ages of 21-28 years old who have exited school before graduation and have had encounters with exclusionary discipline practices. Critical race theory was the theoretical framework that was used to explore and explain the problem of practice. The methodology utilized for this study was narrative research by way of counternarratives. The participants in this study shared their experiences from elementary to high school that included their challenges with school and exclusionary discipline. The findings revealed that teacher-student relationships, peers, exclusionary disciplinary practices and phenomena of racism each played a part in the participants perceptions of suspensions and leaving school before graduating. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]