Jamal is a 12-year-old boy living in Harlem with his mother and younger sister. As the middle child, he often takes on adult responsibilities, cooking meals and watching his sibling while his mother works long hours. Though he struggles in school due to an unsympathetic administration, he finds solace in drawing and painting. He faces immense pressure when asked to take over his imprisoned older brother's gang, the Scorpions, to raise money for a legal appeal.

Mama is a hard-working, strict Christian single mother doing her best to support her three children in Harlem. She works a low-paying, insecure job for a wealthy employer to make ends meet. Deeply stressed by her eldest son's incarceration, she desperately hopes to raise enough money to appeal his case while trying to keep her younger children on a safe path.

Tito is Jamal's devoted best friend who lives with his grandmother in Harlem. Of Puerto Rican descent, he is a sensitive, thoughtful boy who suffers from asthma. He serves as Jamal's moral compass, consistently advising him to stay away from the Scorpions and the dangers of gang life, though his loyalty to Jamal means he refuses to abandon him in difficult situations.

Randy is Jamal's 18-year-old older brother who is serving a 15-to-20-year sentence in an upstate prison for his involvement in a robbery that resulted in murder. Before his incarceration, he was the leader of a local gang called the Scorpions. He expects Jamal to step up as the man of the house and take over his gang leadership to raise funds for his legal appeal.

Sassy is Jamal's eight-year-old younger sister. Outspoken and self-assured, she often bickers with Jamal but shares his deep love and concern for their mother. Despite her young age, she possesses strong intuition about her family's struggles and occasionally takes on household chores like cooking when her mother is working long hours.

Jevon is Jamal's mostly absentee father. He previously lived with the family but struggled with alcoholism and domestic abuse after losing a job, prompting Mama to leave with the children. When he does visit, he makes empty promises about financial support and rigidly pressures Jamal to act like a traditional man of the house.

Mack is Randy's unpredictable best friend and second-in-command within the Scorpions gang. Having recently been released from juvenile detention himself, he acts as the gang's warlord. He pressures Jamal into taking over Randy's leadership role, offering him protection and a gun to help the younger boy command respect among the older gang members.

Dwayne is a 14-year-old, physically imposing student at Jamal's school. He regularly bullies Jamal, threatening him and forcing him into physical altercations. His constant harassment pushes Jamal closer to considering the protection that a gang and a weapon might offer.

Mr. Davidson is the principal of Jamal's school. Rather than offering support, he views Jamal as a lost cause and frequently disciplines him. He assumes Jamal is destined to become a criminal like his older brother and looks for reasons to expel him from the regular student body.

Abuela is Tito's traditional, strict Catholic grandmother. She raises Tito in their Harlem apartment and is highly protective of him, establishing firm moral boundaries and worrying constantly about the negative influences of the neighborhood.

Indian is a tough, aggressive older member of the Scorpions. He is highly skeptical of Jamal stepping in to lead the gang, viewing the 12-year-old as too young and inexperienced. He actively seeks to usurp control of the gang and aligns himself with local drug dealers.

Angel is an older member of the Scorpions gang who closely aligns himself with Indian. He frequently questions Jamal's capability to lead and contributes to the hostile, dangerous environment within the gang's ranks.

Miss Brown is Jamal's grammar teacher. Though she limits his involvement in creative tasks, she is one of the few educators who shows him basic kindness and offers him an outlet for his artistic interests at school.