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shasheer zamataNEW INFORMATION ADDED: A young African-American woman originally from Indianapolis, Sasheer Zamata,  has been chosen as the newest cast member of NBC’s Saturday Night Live.  Zamata, the first Black female on the show since Maya Rudolph left several years ago, debuts as a “featured cast member” on the January 18th show, hosted by Drake.  Zamata, age 27, who graduated from the University of Virginia, is  native of Indianapolis. We have learned that she is a graduate of Pike High School, but other than that still don’t know that much about her life in the Circle City. The New York Times and the website Deadline Hollywood were the first media to report on Zamata’s Indianapolis connection. After graduating college three years ago, Zamata moved to New York and trained at the a comedy troupe Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. In recent months Saturday Night Live has been under intensive criticism for hiring white comedy actors but ignoring African-American female comediennes.  The situation was highlighted in November when Kerry Washington hosted the program and had to play Oprah Winfrey and First Lady Michelle Obama, showcasing the lack of female racially diversity on the program.