Bella | Abzug | A Jewish congresswoman. |
Muhammad | Ali | American professional boxer. activist and philanthropist. |
Neil | Armstrong | American astronaut and the first person to walk on the Moon. |
Cool Papa | Bell | American center fielder in Negro league baseball. |
Lenny | Belton | One of Guido Elefante's friends. |
Bill | Beutel | American television reporter, journalist and anchor. |
Denise | Bibb | The voluptuous church organist. |
T. J. | Billings | The head usher at Five Ends. Aka: Bum-Bum. |
Willie | Bobo | A Latin and jazz percussionist of Puerto Rican ancestry. |
Bill | Boyle | The baseball coach at St. Johns. |
Mark | Bumpus | A smuggler. |
Julius | Caesar | Former Roman consul. |
Diahann | Carroll | American actress, singer, model, and activist. |
Ray | Charles | American singer-songwriter. |
Edie | Chicksaw | Sister Paulette's daughter. |
Deems | Clemens | A drug dealer. |
Louis | Clemens | Deems grandfather. |
Randall | Collins | Real name of Beanie. |
Christopher | Columbus | An Italian explorer and navigator. |
Izi | Cordero | The vice president of the Puerto Rican Statehood Society. |
Joaquin | Cordero | A Dominican ex-husband of Izi Cordero |
Celia | Cruz | A Cuban singer. |
Harold | Dean | A negro who was armed and very dangerous man. |
Marjorie | Delaney | A receptionist at Brewster Memorial Home. |
Salvy | Doyle | An old Irishman. |
Guido | Elefante | Thomas Elefante's father. |
Thomas | Elefante | Runs a trucking and construction business. Aka: The Elephant. |
Mrs. | Ellard | Hettie's acquaintance. |
Thelonius | Ellis | Real name of Hot Sausage. |
Miss | Flay | A tenant of apartment 1A. |
Smooth Rube | Foster | American baseball payer, manager, and exec. in the Negro league. |
Mrs. | Foy | The original tenant of apartment 1A. |
Reverend | Gee | The minister at Five Ends Baptist Church |
Veronica | Gee | The president of the Cause Houses Tenant Association. |
Golly Honey | Gibson | American professional baseball pitcher. |
Josh | Gibson | American Negro league baseball catcher. |
Emma | Goldman | An anarchist political activist and writer. |
Victor | Gorvino | The head of the Gorvino family. |
El | Haji | Dominic Lefleur's brother. |
Jethro | Hardman | The first-ever black detective in the Cause Houses. Aka: Jet. |
Rufus | Harley | Sportcoat's second-best friend. |
Reverend | Harris | A minister at Ebenezer Baptist. |
Abbie | Hoffman | American social activist. |
Morris | Hurly | The funeral director. Aka: Hurly Girly. |
Mr. | Itkin | Owner of a liquor store. |
Willard | Johnson | American political scientist and African studies expert. |
Cleon | Jones | American professional baseball player. |
Martin Luther | King, Jr. | American Christian minister and activist. |
Gladys | Knight | American singer-songwriter. |
Andrew T. B. | Kosciuszko | The great Polish-Lithuanian general. |
Cuffy Jasper | Lambkin | An old deacon. Aka: Sportcoat. |
Dominic | Lefleur | The Haitian Cooking Sensation. |
Sonny | Liston | American professional boxer. |
Soup | Lopez | Sportcoat's acquaintance. |
Hector | Maldonez | A Colombian worker from the Preston chicken-processing plant. |
Bunch | Moon | The head of Moon Rental Cars and Moon Steak N Go. |
Earl | Morris | Bunch's right-hand man. |
Robert | Moses. | A Jewish reformer. |
Bob | Motley | The last surviving umpire from baseball's legendary Negro League. |
Kevin | Mullen | A police sergeant. aka: Potts. |
Angela | Negron | One of the members of the Puerto Rican Statehood Society. |
Mrs. | Nelson | The apartment owner. |
Ralph | Odum | The name used by Hot Sausage in Cause House. |
Eddie | Palmieri | Grammy Award-winning pianist of Puerto Rican ancestry. |
Joe | Peck | A major Italian crime figure in Brooklyn. |
Hettie | Purvis | Lambkin's wife. |
Neva | Ramos | A Dominican beauty who poured a glass of water on man's head. |
Tampa | Red | American Chicago blues musician. |
Fuller | Richardson | Phyllis' uncle. |
Ginny | Rodriguez | A tenant living at Building 19. |
Bullet | Rogan | American baseball player. |
Bullet | Rogan | American pitcher and outfielder for the Kansas City. |
Mr. | Rogers | American television host, producer, and Presbyterian minister. |
Sonny | Rollins | An American jazz tenor saxophonist. |
Hot | Sausage | The Cause Houses janitor and Sportcoat's best friend. |
Peter | Seamus | One of Guido Elefante's friends. |
Eleanora | Soto | One of the members of the Puerto Rican Statehood Society. |
Driscoll | Sturgess | Runs a bagel shop in the Bronx. Aka: The Governor. |
Irv | Thigpen | A drummer. |
Vinny | Tognerelli | Gorvino's deputy. |
Cicely | Tyson | American actress and former fashion model. |
Andressa | Urach | Brazilian model, businesswoman and reality television personality. |
Frankie | Valli | American singer. |
Hector | Vasquez | A trombone player. |
Bub | Washington | A woman who was busted for shoplifting at the grocery store. |
George | Washington | 1st U.S. President. |
J. C. | Yancy | A cotton farm owner. |
Beanie | | One of Deems Clemens' crews. |
Brucie | | Elefante's cousin. |
Bupus | | One of Deems' worker. |
Calvin | | One of the workers at Steak N Go shop. |
Calvin | | A Transit Authority worker. |
Cecil | | Elefante's childhood nickname given by his parents. |
Chink | | One of Deems Clemens' acquaintances. |
Clemy | | Rufus' late wife. |
Dub | | A resident at Cause House. |
Dunne | | A police officer. |
Edie | | Rufus' daughter. |
Elena | | Joaquin's cousin. |
Emelia | | Miss Izi's cousin. |
Erskine | | Deacon of Mighty Hand Gospel Tabernacle. |
Giotto | | An Italian painter. |
Gus | | Hot Sausage's uncle. |
Harold | | A hit man. |
Herbie | | One of Peck's acquaintances. |
Hercules | | Roman hero and god. |
Justin | | One of the workers at Steak N Go shop. |
Krzypcinksi | | A young white social worker. |
Lightbulb | | One of Deems Clemens' crews. |
Macy | | The Governor's younger brother. |
Mel | | A security guard. |
Melissa | | The Governor's lass. |
Mingo | | Dominic Lefleur's friend. |
Mitch | | A young cop. |
Muhammad | | An Arab religious leader. |
Nanette | | One of the choir members. |
Octavia | | A deaconess from Mount Tabernacle. |
Phyllis | | A fly girl. |
Pop-Pop | | Deems Clemens' grandfather. |
Pudding | | A young man from the projects. |
Pudgy Fingers | | Sportcoat's son. |
Rag | | Deems' worker. |
Rags | | One of Deems Clemens' acquaintance. |
Ray | | One of Peck's acquaintances. |
Rick X | | A proud member of the Nation of Islam. |
Rooster | | Deems Clemens' older cousin. |
Rooster | | Deems' older cousin. |
Sid | | The giant constrictor from the Queensbridge Projects. |
Sister Paulletta | | An original founder of Five Ends. |
Stick | | Deems Clemens' original crew. |
Sugar | | Deems Clemens' best friend. |
Sweet Corn | | One of the choir members. |
Vance | | One of Deems Clemens' acquaintances. |
Zeke | | Sister Bibb's son. |