A Latinx female writer who serves as the silent subject of the poem. She endures restrictive creative conditions from a corporate entity that demands she perform an assumed, stereotypical identity. The industry pressures her to write about trauma and poverty rather than share her authentic lived experiences as a Mexican American woman. Her total silence within the piece emphasizes the power dynamics at play in modern corporate publishing.

An arrogant and insensitive voice representing a large publishing house. They use the collective pronoun "we" to represent a predominantly white literary establishment wielding monetary power. Driven by racial tokenism, they seek to fulfill diversity quotas to appease their investors. They confidently dictate what minority authors can and cannot write, relying entirely on harmful cultural stereotypes.

The author's parent whose true reality completely contradicts the racist caricatures pushed by the publishing house. He works as a teacher and speaks English. He also enjoys ordinary hobbies like making beer and watching baseball. The publisher explicitly forbids the author from writing about these mundane realities because they fail to fit the marketable tragedy they want to sell.

The unseen financial backers of the publishing house who provide grants for diverse literature. They serve as a looming force that dictates the corporate actions of the publisher. Their demand for diverse voices ironically drives the publishing house to engage in performative tokenism rather than genuine inclusion.