* Emmett Till: The 14-year-old African American boy who is brutally murdered in Mississippi.
* Mamie Till-Mobley: Emmett's mother, who becomes a powerful voice for justice and a symbol of the Civil Rights movement.
* Carolyn Bryant Donham: The white woman who accused Emmett of making inappropriate advances towards her, leading to his murder.
* J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant: The two white men who kidnapped and murdered Emmett.
* Moses Wright: A black sharecropper who witnessed the kidnapping and testified against the murderers.
* The Till Family: Emmett's family and close friends, who experience the devastating loss and the fight for justice.
* The Black community of Money, Mississippi: The community that is deeply affected by Emmett's murder and becomes a focal point of the civil rights movement.
The book also portrays several other important characters, including:
* The NAACP: The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which played a vital role in investigating Emmett's murder and bringing national attention to the case.
* The FBI: The Federal Bureau of Investigation, which conducted its own investigation into Emmett's murder.
* The Jury: The all-white jury that ultimately acquitted Milam and Bryant of murder.
The book's focus on the individuals involved in the case provides a detailed and powerful account of the racial injustice, violence, and courage that marked the American South in the 1950s.