Jesse Jackson Jr. released from prison, hopes for a second chance.

Former Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. was released from a federal prison camp in Alabama early Thursday, 3/26/2015. He says he hopes for a second chance although he can't hold public office again.

The Walking Dead executive producer disscuses deaths of black characters

In a written interview at Variety.com Gale Anne Hurd, the executive producer of The Walking Dead discussed the deaths of black characters. She had a very interesting answer. I don't know if it will make some fans happy but it seems like an honest answer.

Here's the interview excerpt:

VARIETY: There’s been some controversy this season over the deaths of three significant black male characters (Lawrence Gilliard Jr. as Bob, Chad L. Coleman as Tyreese and Tyler James Williams as Noah). Was there any debate about that in the writers room or after the reaction on social media?

GALE ANN HURD: We have to go with the story. It’s really important to cast the best actors. Two of those characters were white in the comics. They could’ve been any ethnicity. Our casting calls are completely open and we always go with the best actor. Would African American actors want to be told, “We’re not casting you, because in the storyline we’re going to kill you off?” That’s how we have to look at it. We want the best actor and then we have to stick to the storyline that was crafted months before we even cast the roles.

So, do you like that answer?

Morris Brown College emerging from bankruptcy

The beleaguered Morris Brown College is in the process of emerging from three years of bankruptcy and $30 million of debt, according to Anne Aaronson, the Philadelphia-based lawyer with Dilworth Paxson LLP, who has represented the historically black Atlanta college in bankruptcy court.

"The court confirmed the college's plan of reorganization on Wednesday," Aaronson told Creative Loafing via email today. "We anticipate an order being entered shortly. Afterwards we will begin making distributions and file a notice of effective date, signaling the school's emergence from the chapter 11 process."

Once completed, this will bring an end an arduous process that involved proposed and rejected land deals before one was finally struck last year. Morris Brown sold 26 acres of property and buildings for approximately $14.7 million to the city's economic development arm, Invest Atlanta, and Friendship Baptist Church, one of two historic black churches sold to the city and demolished for the construction of the future Atlanta Falcons stadium.

Read more: Morris Brown College emerging from bankruptcy

Black Swimmers Make History At NCAA Championship

African-American swimmers took the top three finishes in a single event at the Women's Division 1 NCAA Championship this weekend, a feat recognized by the national governing body of swimming in the United States with a celebratory tweet.

History @NCAA Swim Championships 100 free as @simone_manuel @LiaNeal @nathindss became first African-Americans to earn 1-2-3 #sportforall

— USA Swimming (@USASwimming) March 22, 2015

Freshman phenom Simone Manuel of Stanford set an NCAA, American, U.S. Open, Championship and Pool record when she clocked a time of 46.09 in the women's 100 yard freestyle.

Manuel's Stanford teammate Lia Neal came in second place with a time of 47.13. (Fans may recall that Neal won a bronze medal in the 4x100 free relay at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.)

The University of Florida's Natalie Hinds swam a time of 47.24. Hinds reset her own-school record in the event during competition.

6 points Stephen A. Smith should keep in mind when discussing blacks voting republican.

Stephen A. Smith made news for his receding hairline, naw just joking. Mr. Smith made news for his suggestion that in one election African American should vote republican. He believes and probably correctly so that the democrats take the black vote for granted, and they should be made to earn the black vote. No argument with him there. But from I heard Mr. Smith said he was asking African Americans to vote for people that they don't know.

Mr. Smith also stated that, “A vast majority of black Americans look at the Republican Party as the enemy.” He says that democrats have successfully painted republicans as such. That may be true, but I have a few points that Mr. Smith might want to keep in mind.

* If black voters did vote republican the republicans would repay them by enacting policies on education, housing, and healthcare that would be detrimental to many African Americans.

* As an elected official at the local level, I know there is one thing you MUST do if you want someone's vote. ASK FOR IT. Republicans don't come to black communities to ask, so why would anyone vote for them.

* For some reason, republicans still regard outreach to African Americans as "catering to a specific group", although when it comes to Hispanics they think differently.

* Democrats may have painted republicans as the "enemy", but that's the republicans fault for letting someone else paint their narrative and CHOOSING not to be there to refute that narrative.

* Optics. The republicans constantly do things that infuriate African Americans such as with the Loretta Lynch situation, always choosing the police side in the shootings of young black men, voter suppresion, finding new and inventive ways to attack the President of the United States, etc.

* It's not the job of black voters to for even just one election to reach out to the Republican Party, it should be the other way around.

I understand the intended point behind Mr. Smith's suggestion and thinks he has good intentions but I just don't think it's necessary to vote republican to get democrats to step up their game. Maybe African Americans just need to flirt with republicans (yes, I know that means we have to find one in our neighborhoods first but work with me here) I also don't think that Mr. Smith looked at the ramifications of such a vote. Of course that's just my humble opinion.

George L. Cook III, AfricanAmericanReports.com Email Mr. Cook