Joan is a young Black woman with a vivid imagination who longs to become an artist. With a thick forest of unruly curls and dark skin, she stands out from her mother and sister and often faces differential treatment from society. She seeks refuge in her sketchbook to process a childhood trauma inflicted by her cousin Derek and the domestic instability of her parents' separation.

Miriam is the mother of Joan and Mya, characterized by her lighter skin and wavy hair. After enduring years of physical and emotional abuse from her Marine husband Jax, she leaves him to start over in her ancestral home in Memphis. She is practical, fiercely independent, and driven to provide for her daughters by returning to school to become a nurse at age forty.

August is Miriam’s tall, dark-skinned half-sister who runs a highly successful beauty salon out of the family home's basement. Although she possesses a gifted singing voice and once dreamed of becoming a doctor, she sacrificed those ambitions to supervise her delinquent son, Derek. She operates as a pillar of strength and practicality for the women in her family and the broader Douglass neighborhood.

Hazel is the mother of Miriam and August, a resilient woman who grew up in Memphis during the Jim Crow era. Following the tragic murder of her beloved husband, Myron, she channels her profound grief into grassroots activism for the civil rights movement. She raises her daughters with a fierce sense of Black pride and a refusal to be diminished by the racist society around her.

Jax is Miriam's husband and the father of Joan and Mya. Initially a charming young Marine, his experiences in the military, particularly the Gulf War, deeply traumatize him. Unable to process the violence and terror of his deployments, he turns his aggression inward toward his family, ultimately destroying his marriage.

Derek is August's teenage son, whose aggressive tendencies mirror the brutal discipline inflicted by his absent father. He involves himself with the Douglass Park 92 Bishops gang, bringing the threat of neighborhood violence to his family's doorstep. His presence in the house creates a constant atmosphere of tension for his cousin Joan.

Myron is Hazel's husband and the father of Miriam. He serves in World War II and returns to build his wife a hand-painted home in Memphis, eventually becoming the city's first Black homicide detective. Unlike other men in the family, Myron remains tender and protective despite his exposure to violence, serving as an idealized figure of love for his descendants.

Mya is Joan’s younger sister, characterized by a physical resemblance to their mother, Miriam, with lighter skin and wavy hair. She is highly intelligent, excelling in math and science with aspirations of becoming a doctor, while remaining a steadfast, comforting presence for Joan during their family's upheaval.

Bird is Jax's identical twin brother, who shares his physical appearance but exhibits a starkly different, calmer demeanor. He provides context for Jax's early trauma and finds comfort in the Memphis household, particularly in his connection with August.

Stanley is a white Jewish German immigrant who runs a neighborhood deli in Douglass. Despite the segregated nature of 1930s Memphis, he treats his Black customers with respect and is beloved by the community, serving as a supportive figure for Hazel and Myron in their youth.

Miss Dawn is a neighborhood elder in Douglass who has witnessed generations of the North family's history. She is a loyal client at August's salon, a source of folk magic advice for Joan, and a lifelong friend to Hazel.

Della is Hazel's mother and the great-grandmother of Joan and Mya. She is renowned as the best seamstress in Memphis and runs a successful business despite the oppressive racial climate, passing down her strong work ethic and pride to her daughter.

Professor Mason is a Black art instructor at Rhodes College who recognizes Joan's exceptional talent. He provides her with the space, materials, and professional encouragement she needs to build a portfolio and apply to formal art programs.

Mazz is an Italian American Marine and a close friend to Jax. He serves alongside Jax during the Gulf War and later tries to explain the traumatic realities of their deployment to Miriam.

Mrs. Finley is a wealthy white customer of Della's tailoring business and a descendant of a prominent Confederate figure. Her patronage helped keep Della's business afloat during the Great Depression, though her racist attitudes require Della and Hazel to carefully manage their interactions with her.