A Methodist minister and political liberal who opposes segregation, his efforts for racial unity in Oxford and Wilmington are significant to the narrative, though they lead to professional and personal challenges.

The author’s mother, she is liberal-minded and encourages her husband through difficult times, playing a supportive yet less prominent role compared to Reverend Tyson.

A poet and close friend of Reverend Tyson, Stem is a political liberal with a pessimistic view of human nature, who becomes involved in addressing racial tensions in Oxford.

A young Black Army veteran and family man whose murder in Oxford triggers significant racial upheaval and forms a central event in the narrative.

A barber and business owner implicated in the murder of Henry Marrow, representing the white-supremacist sentiments in Oxford at the time.

A former Black militant who after the turmoil in Oxford becomes a successful businessman, his connections and stories significantly aid Tyson's narrative.

A Black activist in Oxford and Wilmington who leads protests and influences the younger generation of Black militants, later rising to national prominence in civil rights leadership.