Starr Carter
The protagonist of the movie, Starr is a 16-year old African American girl living in Garden Heights, a rough neighborhood. Meanwhile, she also attends Williamson, a fancy prep school with mostly white students, which leaves her feeling fractured, like two different people. After witnessing the unjust killing of her childhood friend, Khalil, by a white police officer, Starr begins to see the ways that black people face greater injustice under the law, and starts to fight for what is right, speaking on television, testifying in front of a grand jury, and speaking at a protest. Starr is brave, poised, and determined, in spite of facing many obstacles in life. While she feels she must hold a lot in at the beginning of the film, she eventually learns to integrate the different parts of her life.
Khalil Harris
Khalil is one of Starr's childhood friends from Garden Heights, and the two share a love of Harry Potter. However, when Starr started attending Williamson, the two stopped seeing each other as often, as Starr was keen to separate herself from the people of Garden Heights. Khalil harbored romantic feelings for Starr all along and they reconnect after the house party. That night, Khalil is tragically shot by a white police officer.
Maverick Carter
Starr's father and a former member of the King Lords gang. He served time in prison after pleading guilty to a crime he didn't commit, in order to get permission to leave the gang. He is very passionate about the social injustice in Garden Heights and refuses to leave the neighborhood, hoping to improve it from the inside. He is a devoted father who teaches his children to speak out against injustice and values the Black Panther's Ten-Point Program above anything else.
Chris
Starr's white boyfriend who knows nothing about her life in Garden Heights. He is desperately in love with Starr and does not understand why she keeps pushing him away and refusing to let him visit her family. Ultimately, he is very understanding and supportive of Starr even after he learns about the difficulties in her life.
King
The notorious leader of the King Lords. He recruits people to sell drugs and creates a culture of fear that discourages people from speaking up against it. Starr is angry at Starr for speaking up about Khalil's case as it mentions the activities Khalil undertook for the King Lords gang. In order to intimidate Starr, King makes multiple threats and attempts on her life.
Hailey Grant
One of Starr's best friends at school. She is a privileged white teenager who is shown to side with the perspective of the white police officer who shot Khalil. This causes a lot of friction between her and Starr, as Starr realizes that Hailey has always been a fairweather friend.
