NEW YORK, April 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) today announced Maria Elena Salinas, anchor, Noticiero Univision (Univision News)  as the recipient of the 2016 Mickey Leland Humanitarian Achievement Award. Among the highest honors within the industry, the award was established in 1992 to commemorate the eponymous Congressman from Texas for his lifelong advocacy in social justice and equality for people around the world. Salinas will be honored as part of the NAMIC Annual Awards Breakfast scheduled for Wednesday, May 18, 2016 from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. ET at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in Boston, MA. The NAMIC breakfast is held in conjunction with the National Cable and Telecommunication Association's INTX: The Internet & Television Expo.

Since the inception of the Mickey Leland Humanitarian Achievement Award, NAMIC has continued its tradition of honoring individuals and organizations affiliated with the communications industry that demonstrate a commitment to advancing concerns of people of color. "NAMIC is pleased to continue paying tribute to Congressman Leland's legacy, by honoring Maria Elena Salinas, a true humanitarian and diversity champion within the field of journalism," said Eglon E. Simon, president and CEO, NAMIC.

Maria Elena Salinas co-anchors Univision Network's national newscast "Noticiero Univision" and the weekly primetime newsmagazine "Aquí y Ahora" (Here and Now). Called the "Voice of Hispanic America" by The New York Times, Salinas is the most recognized Hispanic female journalist in the United States. Her reputation as a serious, objective and highly trustworthy journalist has allowed her to tirelessly uplift Latino communities and bring their struggles to the public eye. Her career has been marked by her extraordinary commitment to pave the way for future generations. In 1984, Salinas helped launch the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. The organization's mission is to provide professional advancement opportunities, as well as create a unified vision for all Hispanic journalists.

As a mentor, Salinas has been an invaluable resource to her colleagues and to young Latinos interested in media. She was instrumental in the creation of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, which has awarded over $470 million in scholarships to students, scholars, and their families. In 2000, Salinas started her own scholarship fund to support Hispanics students interested in journalism. In 2014, during one of the major humanitarian crisis in recent history, Salinas covered more than 5,700 miles over eight days to produce "Entre el Abandono y el Rechazo" (Between Abandonment and Rejection) to witness and expose the deplorable conditions that drove so many children in Central America to abandon their home in search of a better life. Salinas also explored and revealed the consequences of the massive exodus in the U.S. Mexico border, and wrote about it in The Washington Post. Salinas has received many prestigious recognitions for her distinguished career in broadcast journalism, including: the

National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' Lifetime Achievement Award; the Peabody Award; a Gracies Award for Outstanding Anchor; five national and one regional Emmy Awards; a Walter Cronkite award; an Edward R. Murrow Award; the "Intrepid Award" from NOW; and the 2013 Outstanding Achievement Award in Hispanic Television by Multichannel News and Broadcasting & Cable magazines.

Presented in partnership with Multichannel News, sponsors of the 2016 NAMIC Annual Awards Breakfast include the NCTA, Univision Communications Inc, Discovery Communications, REVOLT, Crown Media Family Networks and Scripps Networks Interactive.

ABOUT NAMIC
NAMIC (National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications) is the premier organization focusing on multi-ethnic diversity in the communications industry. Founded in 1980 as a non-profit trade association, today NAMIC comprises 2,700 professionals belonging to a network of 16 chapters nationwide. Through initiatives that focus on education, advocacy and empowerment, NAMIC champions equity and inclusion in the workforce, with special attention given to ensuring that the leadership cadres of our nation's communications industry giants reflect the multi-ethnic richness of the populations they serve. Comcast | NBCUniversal, Time Warner Cable and Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. are NAMIC's Platinum Annual Corporate Sponsors. For more information, please visit www.namic.com and stay connected to NAMIC on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

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