MCCJ will honor María Elena Salinas, CBS This Morning contributor and Peabody award-winning anchor, on Thursday, Nov. 14, 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,” said 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 also was 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 primetime 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 the group’s 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 Caucus Institute, to name a few.
MCCJ’s Community Partners Matt Haggman and Matt Beatty will serve as this year’s breakfast chairs. The public is welcome to attend by calling 305-755-6096 to RSVP and purchasing a $65 ticket. The breakfast and award ceremony will run from 8 to 10:30 a.m. at the Rusty Pelican, 3201 Rickenbacker Causeway, Key Biscayne.
Sponsorships are available by calling 305-755-6096 or visiting www.miamiccj.org.
MCCJ, Inc. was founded in Miami in 1935 as the Miami Branch of the National Conference of Christians & Jews. Later, the group was renamed the Miami Coalition of Christians and Jews. In 2011, in recognition of its embrace of people of all faiths and secular backgrounds, the organization formally changed its name to MCCJ Inc.
Today, it goes beyond its original intent by creating a haven for dialog, training inclusive leaders and promoting understanding for all faiths, races and cultures through education, advocacy and conflict resolution. It hosts the oldest continuous interfaith clergy dialog in the United States and presents prejudice reducing programs in local high schools, among other activities. For more information, visit www.miamiccj.org.
