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Pasadena Latino Advocacy Group Scores Victory as Saturday Night Live Hires Latina Comedienne

Published on Wednesday, September 14, 2016 | 5:13 am
 
Alex Nogales of the of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, which is headquartered in Pasadena

A Pasadena-based Latino advocacy group scored a victory for their cause after their meeting with Saturday Night Live executives to make the case for them to hire a Latina comedian: an announcement by SNL that Melissa Villasenor will join the show’s cast to kick off its 42nd season on October 1.

Villasenor — a 28-year-old of Mexican descent best known for becoming a finalist on NBC’s reality show “America’s Got Talent” — will be the comedy show’s first Latina member, according to Nola.com.

Her skillset features spot on impressions of celebrities, such as Barbara Walters, Natalie Portman, Miley Cyrus and even Owen Wilson.

Alex Nogales, a member of the National Hispanic Media Coalition that met with SNL executives, told LA Weekly that he could not be more pleased at the decision but that the effort to diversify the show with this hiring is only the beginning of change.

“The pressure is one them,” he told LA Weekly. “This can’t be a one shot deal. We’ve accomplished nothing if that’s what it was.”

According to LA Weekly, the effort to get Latinos onto the program was sparked by SNL’s decision to invite Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump to host an episode of the show last fall, which led to boycotts and protests after Latino leaders condemned his remarks about Mexican immigrants.

Felix Sanchez, Chairman of the National Hispanic Foundation, commended the decision to hire Villasenor in an interview with Fox News Latino.

“It shows that we’re making progress and that we are an important community that cannot be disregarded,” said Sanchez to the network. “This is an area that is undeveloped and underrepresented — Latinas in comedy. IIf Melissa does well, there will be demand for more. It will open doors for others.”

The National Hispanic Media Coalition — which was founded in 1986 — is a media advocacy and civil rights organization for the advancement of fair, inclusive and affordable open access to communications and media for Latinos.

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