| 1 | Jay | Porter | Protagonist. A lawyer. |
| | Bernadine | B. Porter | Jay's pregnant wife. Aka: Bernie. |
| | Marshall | Hennings | Boat captain on Bernie's birthday with Jay. Jimmy's cousin. |
| | Evelyn A. | Boykins | Jay's sister-in-law. Bernie's sister. |
| | Reverend | Boykins | Bernie's father. |
| 2 | Hicks | | The Judge in Mr. Cummings's case. |
| | Charlie | Luckman | Mr. Cummings's lawyer. |
| | J.T. | Cummings | Port commissioner and a city councilman. Charlie's client. |
| | Dana | Moreland | The Hooker. Jay's client. |
| | Erikson | | A police officer. |
| | Eddie | Mae | Jay's secretary. |
| | Al | Boykins | Bernie's mother. Jay's mother-in-law. |
| | Lyndon | Williams | Jay's roommate and friend. Aka: Bumpy. |
| | | | Cole Oil Industries - Largest oil/gas company in Houston. |
| | Melvin | Hempnill | A man who runs the funeral. |
| 3 | Kwame | Mackalvy | A man who runs a community center. Aka: Lloyd. |
| | | | ILA - International
Longshoremen's Association. |
| | Cynthia | Maddox | Jay's ex-girlfriend. The City Mayor. |
| 4 | Miss | Mitchell | A Boarding house owner where Jay formerly lived. |
| | Effie | Dropbottom | A transvestite burlesque dancer. |
| | | | Freedman's National Bank -
1st black-owned bank in 5th Ward. |
| | Wash | Allen | A Radio D.J. |
| 5 | Tim | | Jay's former client. Brother of Jimmy's girlfriend. |
| | Jimmy | Rochelle | Owner of the boat Jay rents for her wife's birthday. |
| | Stella | | Marshall's girlfriend. |
| | Jerome | Porter | Jay's father. Aka: Jay Bird. |
| | Alma | Porter | Jay's mother. |
| | Dodge | | Alma's brother. |
| | Bayard | Rustin | An American leader of anti social movements for civil rights. |
| 6 | Thomas | Cole | The CEO of Cole Oil Industries. |
| | Johnson | Cole | The Founder of Cole Oil Industries. Thomas's father. |
| | Patrick | Cole | Thomas's brother. |
| | John | Cole | Thomas's brother. |
| | | | OCAW - Oil, Chemical, and Atomic Worker's Union. |
| | Mary | Patterson | Marshall's side-chick. |
| 7 | Starla | | Dana's friend and co-worker. |
| | Clyde | | Bouncer at Gilley's set up dates for Starla
& Dana. A Pimp. |
| 8 | Sylvia | Martinez | A woman who works at the Post. |
| | Donnie | Simpson | Owner of the house that was shot by ILA. |
| | Darren | Hayworth | A boy who was badly beaten by ILA. A dockworker. |
| 9 | William | P. Clements | The City Governor. |
| | Mickey | Leland | A city congressman. A democrat. |
| | Kip | | Mayor Madox's typist. |
| | Marla | | Mayor Madox's makeup artist. |
| | Buddy | McPherson | Mayor Madox's challenger in the election.
Former sheriff. |
| | Lloyd | Bentsen | A Senator. |
| | Ronald | Reagan | The U.S. President. |
| 10 | | | SDS - Students for a democratic society. |
| 11 | Mickey | Gilley | Owner of a Club. |
| 12 | Pat | Bodine | The ILA's President. |
| | Wayne | Kaylin | The OCAW's President. |
| | Johnny | Noland | Evelyn's on-and-off boyfriend. |
| | Sunshine | | Wash Allen's frequent caller. |
| 13 | Charlie | W. Robinson | A man who dodged the charges of feds. |
| | Natalia | Greenwood | A woman who dodged the charges of feds. |
| 14 | | | OPA- Oil Producers Alliance. |
| | Elise | Linsey | The mystery girl that Jay and Bernie helped in the boat. |
| | Lonnie | Philips | A reporter in Houston Chronicles. Aka: Lon. |
| 15 | Fred | Hampton | An American Activist. Chairman of Black Panther. |
| | Roger | Holloway | An activist. Cynthia's lover. |
| | | | SNCC - Student Non Violent Coordinating Committee. |
| | | | SCLC - Southern Christian Leadership Conference. |
| | Dr. | King | Founder of SCLC. |
| | Marcus | Dupri | Jay's co-founder of COBRA. |
| | Stokely | Carmichael | A chairman of the national chapter of SNCC. |
| | Eldridge | Cleaver | A Black Revolutionist. |
| | Huey | Newton | A Black Revolutionist. |
| | Elaine | Brown | A Black Revolutionist. |
| | | | AABL - Afro-Americans for Black Liberations. |
| | Alfreda | Watkins | An activist. Roger's African verification inspiration. |
| 16 | Rolly | Snow | Marcus Dupri's former cellmate. Jay's old
acquaintance. |
| | Carla | | Rolly's employee at Lula's. |
| 17 | Carlisle | Minty | The OCAW's Vice-President. |
| | Emily | Vroland | The County Judge. The Judge in Elise's trial. |
| 18 | Dwight | Sweeney | Found dead in car. Aka: Neal McNamara, and Blake Ellis. |
| 20 | Delores | Maxwell | One of Alfreda's sorors. |
| 21 | Erman Joseph | Ainsley | Man ranted against government.
Former salt mine worker. |
| | Wanda | Beasley | A woman who runs the restaurant called "Hot Pot". |
| | Andy | Bradshaw | A police detective on Marshall's murder case. |
| | Sam | Widman | A police detective. Andy's partner. |
| 23 | Dot | Ainsley | Erman's wife. |
| 24 | Bentsen | | A campaigning Senator in 1976. |
| | Hugh | Bowlin | A man from Maritime Association. |
| | Darwood | Becker | A
commissioner with a port of Houston authority. |
| 26 | Alexander | Bakker | Formerly at firm that had Coil Oil as
a big client. |
| 27 | Mr. | Stone | The detective who had a search in Elise's house. |
| | Paul | Lockhart | A judge. |
| | Pete | Smalls | Mr. Stone's partner. |
| 29 | Gail | | Charlie's secretary. |
