Lil - Lil is the central figure in the story. She was born in 1865 and dies in 1965. Lil is the mother of Mae, Steven, Charles, Julienne and Lucy. Lil’s husband Buck is killed by the KKK
during the Reconstruction era. She and
Buck have one daughter Alexandria , who is called Mae. Lil , becomes a strong and independent woman
after the death of her husband. She marries,
Mr. Paul later in the story and they have four children, Steven, Julienne,
Lucy, and Charles. Lil lives through the
Reconstruction era, Jim Crow Segregation in the South and the Civil Rights
movement.
Buck - Lil’s first husband. Buck is killed by the KKK during the
beginning of the Reconstruction era when the KKK experienced a large expansion
across the country. Buck was the father of Mae, Lil’s first child.
Mr. Paul – Lil’s
second husband. Even though Lil develops
emotional problems after the death of her first husband, she remarries. The emotional problems threaten to strain the
marriage. However, with the love of her
husband, and church friends Lil overcomes these obstacles.
Lil’s Children
Charles - Youngest son of a Lil and or Mr. Paul. Charles is married to an alcoholic,
Barbara. Charles
Is a devoted husband
who remains in love with his wife during her nervous breakdown. He has an affair with his secretary.
Julienne - is the middle daughter of Mr. Paul and
Lil. She was born at the end of Reconstruction. She grew up in the Jim Crow era in the south
moved to California. Julienne married
Greg a business associate of Jack. Greg
was a wealthy man and a womanizer.
Lucy -
is the youngest daughter of Mr. Paul and Lil. She was valedictorian of her high school graduating class. She went to the North to become a singer and
entertainer against her parents wishes.
She did not have much success but managed to support herself. She returns to the family farm in Georgia
with her mother and siblings. She meets
an old friend and marries.
Mae (Aleander)
– Is Lil’s eldest child. She was born at
the end of Reconstruction. She is the only child of Buck and Lil. She grew up in the segregated south. She attends college and marries Jack, a
wealthy man from California. She moves
to California with Jack when she completes college. Mae experiences an entirely different life
from her upbringing as a sharecropper on a farm. She lives to see her children, nieces and
nephews thrust into the civil rights era.
Steven - Steven is Lil’ s oldest son. He is the son of Lil and Mr. Paul ( Lil’s second husband). Steven is raised in the segregated south of
Georgia during Jim Crow. He leaves the
south and moves to Boston. He marries
Cindy and works in insurance. He is a
very bitter and defeated man. He is the father of Nathaniel ( a pre-law student)
with a terminal illness who becomes involved in the civil rights protest. Steven is also the boyfriend of Mabel and
the father of their illegitimate son.
Lil’s
Grandchildren –
Leroi - son
of Charles and Barbara. He is a pre -medical student at Harvard. He is engaged to Sandra who he attends
college with. She is also studying to
become a doctor . He is the father to an
illegitimate child with Nell who is also a student at Harvard.
Mark – Lucy’s husband. Helps Lucy to open the business of her
dreams.
Nathaniel –
son of Steven and Cindy. He was a cancer
survivor and marries Vickie. He was a
pre-law college student. He was a young
political activist of the Civil Rights era in the early 1960’s. He is engaged to Vickie.
Neal - son of Barbara and Charles. Lives with Greg and Julienne in California
while assisting a researcher with the family genealogy. Has a relationship with Evelyn , who is
researching the family history. Also, is engaged
to Samantha, when he meets Evelyn.
Other Characters
Angela- Barbara’s
illegitimate daughter.
Bobby- Barbara’s brother, who is an ex -convict
and who blackmails her.
Bryce Johnson- great
–great grandson of the owner of the
plantation where Lil’s mother Hattie was a slave. Is a racist.
Deborah or (Debra)-
Lil’s cousin and Fannie’s daughter.
Donald – an associate
of Evelyn who is helping Lil to research the family genealogy.
Evelyn- The college researcher who traces the
family’s genealogy and writes a research paper about Lil’s family
Fannie – Hattie’s daughter and Lil’s sister.
Fannie – Hattie’s daughter and Lil’s sister.
Hattie- a slave was the mother of Fannie and Lil .
Hattie's mother - Lil's grandmother a slave who is the mixed race daughter of the plantation owner, Mr. Johnson.
Jim - hattie's husband and Lil's father. He was a slave on the Johnson plantation.
Marge - girlfriend of Greg. Is involved in an extra marital affair.
Hattie's mother - Lil's grandmother a slave who is the mixed race daughter of the plantation owner, Mr. Johnson.
Jim - hattie's husband and Lil's father. He was a slave on the Johnson plantation.
Marge - girlfriend of Greg. Is involved in an extra marital affair.
Mabel – is the
girlfriend of Steven. She has an
extramarital affair with Steven. Is the mother
of his illegitimate child.
Mr. Johnson - the owner of the plantation who is the father of father of Hattie's mother. he is the great-great grandfather of Bryce and Robert Johnson.
Mrs. Brown- Jack's mother.
Mr. Johnson - the owner of the plantation who is the father of father of Hattie's mother. he is the great-great grandfather of Bryce and Robert Johnson.
Mrs. Brown- Jack's mother.
Mr. Shumate – the
store owner who accuses Lil of stealing money from his store during
segregation.
Nell - college acquaintance of Leroi and
Sandra. She has an illegitimate child
with Leroi.
Robert Johnson
– great-great grandson of the owner of the plantation. Is a liberal businessman who has moved to the
North . He helps Lil’s children to
establish a foundation to educate minority students.
Sandra- Leroi’s
fiancée. She also studied medicine at
Harvard.
Vickie - the fiancée of Nathaniel who is a nursing
student.
Historical Figures included in the book: You may wish to read more about this people and topics :
President Andrew Johnson, p. 137
President Ulysses S. Grant ,p. 139
Frederick Douglass, p.138
Robert Smalls,p.138
Marcus Garvey , p.35, p.95, p.96
Martin Luther King, p. 16, p.35
Malcolm X- p.35
KKK – p.13., p.14,p.137-138
Historical Institutions included in the book:
Freedman’s Bureau – p.137
Freedman’s Bank-p.138
Freedman’s Schools- p.138
Underground Railroad- p.5
Reconstruction- p.15
Black Codes- p.138
Civil Rights Act of 1875, p. 138
Black Star Line, p.95
Civil Rights Movement –p.5, p. 102, p.104
