MCCJ's Headliner Award Breakfast
Thu Nov 14, 8:00 AM - Thu Nov 14, 10:30 AM

On Thursday, November 14, 2019, MCCJ will honor María Elena Salinas, CBS This Morning contributor and Peabody award-winning anchor with the Hank Meyer National Headliner Award. Salinas has been described as the “Voice of Hispanic America” by the New York Times and recognized as one of the most influential journalists in the United States. The Hank Meyer Award is presented to journalists who mirror MCCJ’s mission of creating an inclusive community. “We want to recognize Salinas’ passion for immigration and for objectively and accurately depicting the challenges that Latino immigrants face in our country,” says Nestor Rodriguez, executive director. Past honorees of this award include journalist legends Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, Barbara Walters and Tom Brokaw, Miami Herald columnist Leonard Pitts Jr., ABC’s What Would You Do? John Quiñones, NPR’s Michelle Martin, MSNBC’s Joy Ann Reid, ABC’s Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd, New York Times Op-Ed columnist, Charles M. Blow and NPR’s 1A Host Joshua Johnson.

In 2016 Salinas was awarded two honorary doctorate degrees, from American University School of Communications and California State University, Fullerton. She was also honored with the Mickey Leland Humanitarian award. In 2015, she received a Peabody Award, the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism, an Emmy and a Gracie Award for her news and documentary special "Entre el abandono y el rechazo" (Between Abandonment and Rejection), a prime-time report on the exodus of Central American children to the United States, which judges praised as being "balanced and revealing." Focused on her mission to inform, inspire and empower the Latino community, for decades she has worked with several civic organizations encouraging immigrants to become citizens, register to vote and participate in the political process. Recently, she teamed up with “Mi Familia Vota” in their voter registration campaign. Her efforts have garnered her the coveted Intrepid Award from the National Organization for Women (NOW), and she has been honored by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, and The Congressional Hispanic