Tish Rivers
Tish is a main character of the film, and is an African American woman living in New York City. The love of her life is Fonny, who she has a romantic relationship with. They decide to move into an apartment together to become more independent, but they struggle finding vacancies because they are both African American. Tish and Fonny typically get badly treated, and accused of things when things go wrong.
After Fonny is sent to prison, Tish announces that she is pregnant. She is in love with the baby from the moment she finds out, but is saddened, like Fonny, to know that the baby might be born while he is in prison.
Fonny Hunt
Another main character of the film, Fonny Hunt is an African American male living with Tish in New York City. Fonny is known for being accused of crime, but, in reality, he is a perfectly innocent man. The first case of crime that we see is when Fonny sticks up for Tish when a white man is assaulting her. A police officer claims that Fonny is the one that started the encounter, and insists on arresting him. However, he is not arrested. When Fonny is alone, however, he is more vulnerable. He is accused of raping Victoria Rogers, a young white girl. Though there was no way he could have been anywhere near the scene of the crime, he is sent to prison anyway, by the same police officer from before. Fonny spends the rest of the movie in prison, with hopes of having a fair trial to get out.
Ernestine and Shannon Rivers
Ernestine and Shannon are Tish's parents, who are static characters in the film. Tish tells them about her pregnancy, expecting them to disapprove. However, they know that times are hard with Fonny in jail, and are very supporting. For the most part, Ernestine and Shannon show the deep connection that Tish has with her family, and how, in times of need, everyone can pull together.
