The Speaker is a collective, authoritative voice that represents a powerful system rather than an individual human being. It functions as the overarching "we" of the poem and mimics the detached tone of pre-recorded airport announcements to enforce rules. It actively denies responsibility for historical injustices and uses systemic profiling to oppress individuals.

The Addressee represents an individual member of an oppressed group, referred to exclusively in the singular "you." The addressee lacks the privileged backing of a powerful system and experiences racial profiling and the denial of basic civil rights. The individual carries generational trauma and faces strict warnings against displaying emotional reactions to unfair treatment.

The Handlers act as the physical agents of the powerful system who carry out actions that directly harm the addressee. Symbolically, they represent overseers on plantations who historically enacted violence against enslaved people. The overarching system deflects blame onto them rather than taking direct institutional responsibility for the damage caused.

The Police serve as the modern law enforcement arm of the systemic power structure. They use arbitrary language and racial profiling to justify detaining and interrogating marginalized individuals. They operate under the speaker's overarching authority and do not presume innocence or inform suspects of their rights.

The Relatives symbolize the ancestors of the addressee who were lost to the historical slave trade and systemic violence. Their treatment as property rather than human beings serves as the foundation for the generational trauma carried by the addressee. The speaker completely refuses to accept responsibility for their historical suffering or loss.