Marilyn Katz is a writer, consultant, public policy communications strategist and long-time political activist. She is president of MK Communications, a partner in Democracy Partners and a founder and co-chair of the newly formed Chicago Women Take Action.

Marilyn Katz is a writer, consultant, public policy communications strategist and long-time political activist. She is president of MK Communications, a partner in Democracy Partners and a founder and co-chair of the newly formed Chicago Women Take Action. She was called to action by the civil rights movement and the war in Vietnam while a student at Northwestern. In 1968, as an organizer with JOIN Community Union, she organized Chicago high school students – an activity that led her to be head of the “marshalls” in the April and August demonstrations.

Feature
The “Me Too” Movement and the Rights of the Accused
Have the men and women accused of sexual harassment lost their right to a fair hearing?
Marilyn Katz
Labor
Low Wages in Illinois: When Corporations Don’t Pay, the Public Does
Marilyn Katz
Feature
To Impeach or Not To Impeach? That Is Not the Question.
The problems with the GOP are far greater than any one figurehead.
Marilyn Katz
Feature
Trump Won Because Democrats Have Lost Touch With the Working Class
The Republican nominee tapped into the anger, pain and fear that motivated voters this election.
Marilyn Katz
Feature
How Past Victories For Gender and Racial Justice Made U.S. Olympic Success Possible
Women and African-American athletes show us what’s at stake in this year's election.
Marilyn Katz
Labor
Not With a Bang But a Whimper—Oreo Leaves Chicago Holding the Bag
Marilyn Katz
Viewpoint
Chicago Activists Should Be Commended, Not Scolded, for Shutting Down Donald Trump’s Rally
Peaceful resistance doesn’t egg on Trump’s supporters—it forces them to back down.
Marilyn Katz
Viewpoint
Stopping Trump: The Chicago Model
How the people of Chicago silenced Donald Trump.
Marilyn Katz
Feature
The Talking Heads are Wrong: It’s Not Over Yet
Despite what the pundits say, the outcome of Democratic primary is far from inevitable
Marilyn Katz
Viewpoint
Bruce Rauner’s 1 Percent-Friendly Policies Are Making Things Worse for Illinois, Not Better
The near-billionaire governor keeps insisting his policies increase opportunities for Illinoisans. But the numbers tell a different story.
Marilyn Katz
Feature
Where Are the Black Panthers and Corporate Philanthropists When We Need Them?
Real change requires that we expand our understanding of what actions are needed on the part of the mayor, the police and any one who claims the mantle of the city’s leadership. Two films that premiered this past fall provide guidance of the kind of leadership that today is missing.
Marilyn Katz
Viewpoint
What Was Won and Lost in Steven Salaita’s University of Illinois Settlement
Salaita’s settlement is a victory for him and academic freedom. But will we ever know who was watching him—and us?
Marilyn Katz
Labor
As Nabisco Ships 600 Jobs Out of Chicago to Mexico, Maybe It’s Time To Give Up Oreos
Marilyn Katz
Feature
Whose Race—And Gender—Is it Anyway?
Caitlyn Jenner and Rachel Dolezal trigger an important conversation.
Marilyn Katz
Feature
Why Gay Rights Trump Women’s Rights
Why aren't we standing up against the assault on women's rights?
Marilyn Katz
Feature
Netanyahu’s Not So Secret Plan
Netanyahu is creating an Israel that will stretch from the Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea.
Marilyn Katz
Feature
Chicago Progressives: Examine the Election’s Numbers Before Patting Yourselves on the Back
The city's progressives should claim no easy victories.
Marilyn Katz
Feature
Chicago Progressives’ Midterms Performance Actually Wasn’t That Bad
Far from wringing their hands about last week's election's implications, Chicago progressives should take heart at their performance.
Marilyn Katz
Feature
It’s Time To Speak Out for Gaza
Why have American politicians and editorial boards been silent in the face of extreme violence?
Marilyn Katz
Feature
Netanyahu’s Gaza Game Plan
Armed conflict will only lead to mounting numbers of dead on both sides.
Marilyn Katz
Feature
Sipping Lattes on the Edge of a Volcano
What do Palestinians, human rights workers, progressive Israelis and Israeli settlers have to say about daily life in an occupied land?
Marilyn Katz
Feature
Two Decades After Oslo, A Look at Life in Israel and Palestine
While in the Middle East last October, I saw firsthand why ending occupation is so necessary—and why it will be so difficult.
Marilyn Katz
Feature
The Naiveté of Nihilism
How Occupy challenged the way we think, speak and act upon resistance.
Marilyn Katz
Feature
A Different Path for Syria—and America’s Cities
Will U.S. diplomacy in Syria carve a new path towards peace at home and abroad?
Marilyn Katz
Feature
A Half Century After Detroit Uprising, City Still Stranded by Capitalism and Federal Government
How federal policy and Big Auto drove black blight and white flight.
Marilyn Katz
Feature
Where the Real Danger Lies
Some indisputable consequences of closing 50 Chicago Public Schools.
Marilyn Katz
Feature
All Ye Progressives, Take Heart
The Grand Old Party will eventually be the Dead Old Party: the inexorable logic of numbers.
Marilyn Katz
Feature
Hathaway’s Nipples and a Congressional Primary: Signs of the Times?
Has the liberal media switched sides in the war against women?
Marilyn Katz
Feature
Obama in Israel: Some Dare Call It Victory
A speech can't do everything. But it can signal a new day.
Marilyn Katz
Feature
As Obama Tours Israel, It’s Time for Action, Not Talk
During President Barack Obama's visit in Israel, he must focus on ending the occupation.
Marilyn Katz
Feature
Guns? Don’t Wait for Congress—or Godot
With gun enthusiasts stockpiling weapons in light of impending federal regulations, what is a concerned citizen to do?
Marilyn Katz
Feature
A Time to Choose
How will the United States respond to the UN resolution on Palestine?
Marilyn Katz
Feature
Peace in Palestine Now
The latest round of killings in Gaza and Israel must spur the United States to broker a lasting peace.
Marilyn Katz
Feature
Fast-Forward to 2013
What life in Mitt Romney’s America would look like.
Marilyn Katz
Feature
Yes, GOP, ‘We Built It.’ But Not Alone.
The Republican Convention's theme implies--wrongly--that entrepreneurs don't rely on public help.
Marilyn Katz
Feature
Whose Election Is This Anyway?
It’s not about Obama or Romney. It’s about us.
Marilyn Katz
Feature
The Ties That Bind Paul Ryan and Todd Akin
Rape-denier Todd Akin is right in line with the GOP's staunchly anti-abortion platform. And so is Ryan.
Marilyn Katz
Feature
West Bank Diaries
In May, the author spent ten days traveling around Israel, Palestine and Jordan with the liberal pro-Israel advocacy organization J Street. What follows are excerpts from the journal she kept during her trip.
Marilyn Katz
Viewpoint
Our Bodies, Their Politics
The last few months have made abundantly clear what women must do: Rid America's capitols of misogynists.
Marilyn Katz
Viewpoint
Israel Needs a New Narrative
Casting Jews as permanent victims is both outdated and counterproductive to the country's well-being.
Marilyn Katz
Viewpoint
What’s Next for the Occupy Movement?
There is much to celebrate, even as the tents come down. But it's time for new strategies.
Marilyn Katz
Feature
Lessons from the 1960s for the 99 Percent
To build a truly mass movement, Occupy protesters must avoid militancy—and learn to like leaders.
Marilyn Katz
Viewpoint
A Deafening Silence
Why isn't the anti-war movement claiming victory for America's withdrawal from Iraq?
Marilyn Katz
Feature
What We Lost After We Won in 2008
An anti-war activist explains what the Democratic establishment fails to understand.
Marilyn Katz