| 1 | | | JESUS'S CHEESE |
| | Cuffy Jasper | Lambkin | An old deacon. Aka: Sportcoat. |
| | Deems | Clemens | A drug dealer. |
| | Hettie | Purvis | Lambkin's wife. |
| | Veronica | Gee | The president of the Cause Houses Tenant Association. |
| | T. J. | Billings | The head usher at Five Ends. Aka: Bum-Bum. |
| | Izi | Cordero | The vice president of the Puerto Rican Statehood Society. |
| | Joaquin | Cordero | A Dominican ex-husband of Izi Cordero |
| | Hot | Sausage | The Cause Houses janitor and Sportcoat's best friend. |
| | Dominic | Lefleur | The Haitian Cooking Sensation. |
| | Thomas | Elefante | Runs a trucking and construction business. Aka: The Elephant. |
| | Reverend | Gee | The minister at Five Ends Baptist Church |
| | Sister Paulletta | | An original founder of Five Ends. |
| | Morris | Hurly | The funeral director. Aka: Hurly Girly. |
| | Denise | Bibb | The voluptuous church organist. |
| | Rufus | Harley | Sportcoat's second-best friend. |
| | Sonny | Liston | American professional boxer. |
| | Muhammad | Ali | American professional boxer. activist and philanthropist. |
| | Nanette | | One of the choir members. |
| | Sweet Corn | | One of the choir members. |
| | Pudding | | A young man from the projects. |
| | Pudgy Fingers | | Sportcoat's son. |
| | Neva | Ramos | A Dominican beauty who poured a glass of water on man's head. |
| | Bub | Washington | A woman who was busted for shoplifting at the grocery store. |
| 2 | | | A DEAD MAN |
| | Erskine | | Deacon of Mighty Hand Gospel Tabernacle. |
| | Ginny | Rodriguez | A tenant living at Building 19. |
| | El | Haji | Dominic Lefleur's brother. |
| | Tampa | Red | American Chicago blues musician. |
| | J. C. | Yancy | A cotton farm owner. |
| 3 | | | JET |
| | Jethro | Hardman | The first-ever black detective in the Cause Houses. Aka: Jet. |
| | Joe | Peck | A major Italian crime figure in Brooklyn. |
| | Kevin | Mullen | A police sergeant. aka: Potts. |
| | Earl | Morris | Bunch's right-hand man. |
| | Harold | | A hit man. |
| | Eleanora | Soto | One of the members of the Puerto Rican Statehood Society. |
| | Angela | Negron | One of the members of the Puerto Rican Statehood Society. |
| | Emelia | | Miss Izi's cousin. |
| 4 | | | RUNNING OFF |
| | Mr. | Itkin | Owner of a liquor store. |
| | Louis | Clemens | Deems grandfather. |
| | Bullet | Rogan | American baseball player. |
| | Bob | Motley | The last surviving umpire from baseball's legendary Negro League. |
| 5 | | | THE GOVERNOR |
| | Salvy | Doyle | An old Irishman. |
| | Driscoll | Sturgess | Runs a bagel shop in the Bronx. Aka: The Governor. |
| | Guido | Elefante | Thomas Elefante's father. |
| | Lenny | Belton | One of Guido Elefante's friends. |
| | Peter | Seamus | One of Guido Elefante's friends. |
| | Bill | Beutel | American television reporter, journalist and anchor. |
| 6 | | | BUNCH |
| | Bunch | Moon | The head of Moon Rental Cars and Moon Steak N Go. |
| | Calvin | | One of the workers at Steak N Go shop. |
| | Justin | | One of the workers at Steak N Go shop. |
| | Martin Luther | King, Jr. | American Christian minister and activist. |
| | Willard | Johnson | American political scientist and African studies expert. |
| | George | Washington | 1st U.S. President. |
| | Mark | Bumpus | A smuggler. |
| 7 | | | THE MARCH OF THE ANTS |
| | Hector | Maldonez | A Colombian worker from the Preston chicken-processing plant. |
| | Andressa | Urach | Brazilian model, businesswoman and reality television personality. |
| | Abbie | Hoffman | American social activist. |
| | Andrew T. B. | Kosciuszko | The great Polish-Lithuanian general. |
| | Emma | Goldman | An anarchist political activist and writer. |
| | Hercules | | Roman hero and god. |
| | Sid | | The giant constrictor from the Queensbridge Projects. |
| | Miss | Flay | A tenant of apartment 1A. |
| | Mrs. | Foy | The original tenant of apartment 1A. |
| | Mrs. | Nelson | The apartment owner. |
| | Beanie | | One of Deems Clemens' crews. |
| | Rags | | One of Deems Clemens' acquaintance. |
| | Sugar | | Deems Clemens' best friend. |
| | Stick | | Deems Clemens' original crew. |
| | Lightbulb | | One of Deems Clemens' crews. |
| | Rooster | | Deems Clemens' older cousin. |
| | Pop-Pop | | Deems Clemens' grandfather. |
| | Cleon | Jones | American professional baseball player. |
| | Cool Papa | Bell | American center fielder in Negro league baseball. |
| | Golly Honey | Gibson | American professional baseball pitcher. |
| | Smooth Rube | Foster | American baseball payer, manager, and exec. in the Negro league. |
| | Bullet | Rogan | American pitcher and outfielder for the Kansas City. |
| | Chink | | One of Deems Clemens' acquaintances. |
| | Vance | | One of Deems Clemens' acquaintances. |
| 8 | | | THE DIG |
| | Edie | Chicksaw | Sister Paulette's daughter. |
| | Zeke | | Sister Bibb's son. |
| 9 | | | Dirt |
| | Mitch | | A young cop. |
| | Dunne | | A police officer. |
| | Thelonius | Ellis | Real name of Hot Sausage. |
| | Ray | Charles | American singer-songwriter. |
| 10 | | | Soup |
| | Krzypcinksi | | A young white social worker. |
| | Hector | Vasquez | A trombone player. |
| | Willie | Bobo | A Latin and jazz percussionist of Puerto Rican ancestry. |
| | Irv | Thigpen | A drummer. |
| | Sonny | Rollins | An American jazz tenor saxophonist. |
| | Celia | Cruz | A Cuban singer. |
| | Eddie | Palmieri | Grammy Award-winning pianist of Puerto Rican ancestry. |
| | Gladys | Knight | American singer-songwriter. |
| | Soup | Lopez | Sportcoat's acquaintance. |
| | Ralph | Odum | The name used by Hot Sausage in Cause House. |
| | Elena | | Joaquin's cousin. |
| | Calvin | | A Transit Authority worker. |
| | Mingo | | Dominic Lefleur's friend. |
| | Muhammad | | An Arab religious leader. |
| | Reverend | Harris | A minister at Ebenezer Baptist. |
| | Mr. | Rogers | American television host, producer, and Presbyterian minister. |
| 11 | | | Pokeweed |
| | Victor | Gorvino | The head of the Gorvino family. |
| | Vinny | Tognerelli | Gorvino's deputy. |
| | Herbie | | One of Peck's acquaintances. |
| | Ray | | One of Peck's acquaintances. |
| | Julius | Caesar | Former Roman consul. |
| | Christopher | Columbus | An Italian explorer and navigator. |
| | Robert | Moses. | A Jewish reformer. |
| 12 | | | Mojo |
| | Gus | | Hot Sausage's uncle. |
| | Neil | Armstrong | American astronaut and the first person to walk on the Moon. |
| | Bella | Abzug | A Jewish congresswoman. |
| 13 | | | The Country Girl |
| | Melissa | | The Governor's lass. |
| | Cecil | | Elefante's childhood nickname given by his parents. |
| | Brucie | | Elefante's cousin. |
| | Frankie | Valli | American singer. |
| | Macy | | The Governor's younger brother. |
| | Bupus | | One of Deems' worker. |
| | Harold | Dean | A negro who was armed and very dangerous man. |
| | Rooster | | Deems' older cousin. |
| 15 | | | You Have No Idea What's Coming |
| | Octavia | | A deaconess from Mount Tabernacle. |
| 17 | | | Harold |
| | Josh | Gibson | American Negro league baseball catcher. |
| | Phyllis | | A fly girl. |
| | Fuller | Richardson | Phyllis' uncle. |
| | Bill | Boyle | The baseball coach at St. Johns. |
| | Diahann | Carroll | American actress, singer, model, and activist. |
| | Cicely | Tyson | American actress and former fashion model. |
| | Rag | | Deems' worker. |
| 18 | | | Investigation |
| | Randall | Collins | Real name of Beanie. |
| 20 | | | Plant Man |
| | Mrs. | Ellard | Hettie's acquaintance. |
| | Edie | | Rufus' daughter. |
| | Clemy | | Rufus' late wife. |
| 21 | | | New Dirt |
| | Dub | | A resident at Cause House. |
| 24 | | | Sister Paul |
| | Marjorie | Delaney | A receptionist at Brewster Memorial Home. |
| | Mel | | A security guard. |
| 26 | | | Beautiful |
| | Rick X | | A proud member of the Nation of Islam. |
| | Giotto | | An Italian painter. |
