NEW YORK — While journalists, and those connected to Hispanic audiences in particular, had a busy 18 months covering the presidential election, the real work starts in the coming weeks, said Maria Elena Salinas, anchor of Noticiero Univision.

Salinas was a keynote speaker at the B&C/Multichannel News Diversity Discussion event here on Monday (Dec. 5).

“I think our job now is more important than ever,” she said.

Salinas, in TV news since 1981, noted that she’s never seen an election cycle quite like 2016. “I’ve never covered an election where the next day people are crying and afraid,” she said, referring to the Hispanic community’s fears over loved ones being deported, among other issues.

She mentioned a sense of betrayal among some viewers, who felt that the network’s push to get people to vote would elicit a different result.

Salinas, who anchors alongside Jorge Ramos, said “things have calmed down a little bit” since Nov. 8. “I think eventually time heals all wounds,” she added.

The veteran anchor suggested people give President-elect Donald Trump a chance to do right by the country, and by the Latino population. “Give him a chance to see if he can govern,” she said while acknowledging in the next breath that Trump does not possess governing knowhow.

Mark Robichaux, editorial director of Multichannel News and B&C, interviewed Salinas. When Trump kicked off his campaign with an address that labeled Mexican immigrants as rapists and drug smugglers, Salinas said the whole of the Hispanic population felt the sting.

“When you attack one specific community, in this case undocumented immigrants, you are really attacking all of them,” she said.

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The National Association of Multi-ethnicity in Communications honored its Next Generation Leaders and Luminaries during its annual awards breakfast at the INTX show Wednesday morning, which also featured a trailer for History’s Roots reboot.

NAMIC recognized four Next Generation Leaders — emerging executives of color under the age of 45 who exemplify NAMIC’s mission of education, advocacy and empowerment to foster multiethnic diversity and inclusion in the cable industry — as well as 10 Luminaries who have demonstrated a high level of business acumen while fostering diversity and inclusion.

“They are trendsetters, thought leaders and change agents,” NAMIC president Eglon Simons said of the honorees. “They are spreading NAMIC’s vision for advocacy within their organizations.”

The diversity organization also honored Noticiero Univision anchor Maria Elena Salinas with the organization’s 2016 Mickey Leland Humanitarian Achievement Award, given to an executive for their lifelong advocacy in social justice and equality for people around the world. Salinas said in her acceptance speech that as a member of the Spanish-language media, she felt a responsibility to go beyond the headlines in reporting the news.

“I always believed that there would have to be a social service component to our job,” Salinas said. “ After all, we do serve an audience that has additional needs and a community that depends on us for information that will help make their lives more manageable."

Actor LeVar Burton also addressed breakfast attendees as an executive producer of History’s eight-hour miniseries reboot of Alex Haley’s 1970s miniseries Roots about the journey of an African-American family through slavery.

Burton, who starred as Kunta Kinte in the original Roots, said he was at first skeptical of History’s plans to remake the classic 1970s miniseries, but was won over after Mark Wolper -- the son of original Roots executive producer David Wolper -- said that the nearly 40 year-old miniseries didn’t speak to his kids when they watched it.

“It is a reality that there is an entire generation of Americans who do not know this very important story,” Burton said.

The National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications will honor Noticiero Univision anchor Maria Elena Salinas with its 2016 Mickey Leland Humanitarian Achievement Award, the diversity organization announced Thursday.

The award, named after the Texas Congressman and given to an executive for their lifelong advocacy in social justice and equality for people around the world, will be given to Salinas as part of the May 18 NAMIC Annual Awards Breakfast at the INTX Show in Boston.

"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.