The speaker serves as the narrator and witness of the poem, carefully cataloging 17 metaphorical names that capture the lived reality of African American boyhood. Initially maintaining an objective, authoritative distance to present vivid and sometimes devastating imagery, the speaker later reveals a personal vulnerability and connection to the subjects. They identify as part of the community by asking who they are to name the boys nothing, breaking their observational stance to offer a direct, personal testimony. The speaker bears the heavy burden of documenting both the profound beauty of their community and the pervasive systemic threats it faces.

Black boys are the collective subject of the poem, rendered through a series of complex, layered metaphors rather than traditional narrative description. They carry the innocence, potential, and nostalgic wonder of youth while simultaneously existing under the constant threat of systemic violence. Described as the first son of soil, coal awaiting spark and wind, and a prayer who learned to bite and sprint, they represent both the enduring resilience of the African American community and its vulnerability to prejudice. Their identities are deeply intertwined with the perceptions of others, forcing them to survive a world that often views them as guilty until proven dead.

Michael Brown is an 18-year-old unarmed teenager whose fatal shooting deeply informs the emotional and political context surrounding the poem's widespread popularity. While walking home with a friend, he is confronted and killed. This event catalyzes widespread unrest and the popularization of the hands up, don't shoot slogan. His death serves as the real-world manifestation of the poem's exploration of systemic injustice, where Black boys are treated as guilty until proven dead. He stands as a central figure in the movement against police violence and a tragic reflection of the poem's most devastating realities.

Darren Wilson is the police officer responsible for stopping and ultimately shooting Michael Brown. Operating from a position of institutional power, he fires 12 shots during a brief struggle, killing the unarmed teenager. His subsequent lack of indictment by a grand jury sparks nationwide outrage and protest. Within the thematic framework of the text, he represents the systemic, lethal forces of law enforcement that act upon the prejudiced assumption that Black boys are inherently threatening, embodying the violent oppression the poem's subjects must constantly confront.

The mother is a vital presence at the conclusion of the poem. She anchors the abstract metaphors in intimate, familial reality. She represents the loved ones who care for and raise Black boys, bearing the emotional weight of their survival in a hostile society. Her defining image, characterized by both joy and clutched breath, encapsulates the agonizing paradox of her existence. She experiences profound love and pride for her child, coupled with a constant, suffocating fear of losing him to racist violence. Her presence reminds the reader that violence against individuals ripples outward to devastate families and communities.

Dorian Johnson is Michael Brown's friend who is present during the fatal confrontation in Ferguson, Missouri. He acts as a crucial witness to the tragedy, providing the account that Brown had his hands raised in surrender during the shooting. His testimony helps to birth the enduring protest chant of hands up, don't shoot. This makes him an essential voice in pushing back against the official narrative and protesting the unjustified nature of the violence.

Moses is a biblical figure from the book of Exodus whose story is alluded to in the poem's opening imagery. In the traditional narrative, he is called by God through a miraculously unconsumed burning bush to liberate the enslaved Israelites from Egypt. Within the poem's context, this allusion is subtly inverted, as the focus on smoke implies actual combustion and destruction. Despite this grim twist, his figure retains its thematic resonance of a holy calling to speak truth to power, demand justice, and seek liberation from systemic oppression.