HR0608 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0608 LRB103 35169 LAW 65140 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of activist, community organizer, and publicist Marilyn Katz, who passed away on October 26, 2023; and

WHEREAS, Marilyn Katz was born in Chicago; she was raised in Lakeview and graduated from Lake View High School; she attended both Tulane University and Northwestern University; she was a longtime resident of Lincoln Park; and

WHEREAS, Marilyn Katz left college in 1966 to devote herself to activism, marching with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Marquette Park to protest housing segregation; that same year, she joined the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) to primarily object to the Vietnam War while also bringing attention to civil rights issues; she quickly became a local leader of the organization, and she served as security chief of SDS's National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Marilyn Katz moved to Los Angeles, California in 1970, where her work included making educational films aimed at helping surgical patients; she returned to Chicago in 1978, working as a director and producer for Goldsholl Design & Film Associates from 1979 until late 1982; she then became a press aide to Harold Washington for his first mayoral campaign in 1983, becoming an integral part of Democratic politics in Chicago in the process; and

WHEREAS, Marilyn Katz founded the public relations firm MK Communications in April 1984, serving as a strategist and consultant to clients in various fields, including government, housing, and nonprofits; she assisted in numerous political campaigns, including Harold Washington's second mayoral campaign in 1987 and Barack Obama's successful presidential runs; over the years, she handled a diverse client list that included the Morton Arboretum, the Chicago Park District, the Chicago Children's Museum, Park National Bank, the National Railway Equipment Co., and the City of Chicago; through her work, she became well-known as a behind-the-scenes influence in Chicago politics for decades, and she was noted for her extraordinary ability to galvanize and organize people with, at times, opposing interests; and

WHEREAS, Marilyn Katz maintained her antiwar stance throughout her life, organizing efforts against the Iraq War in the early 2000s; she belonged to several organizations and served on the board of J Street, a pro-Israel advocacy group, for many years and co-chaired Chicago Women Take Action, which was established after President Donald Trump's election in 2016; she also served as a consultant for the musicians' union to settle a strike at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2019; and

WHEREAS, Marilyn Katz was passionate, intelligent, persuasive, humorous, and moral; she loved cooking, especially when making Sunday dinners for family and close friends; and

WHEREAS, Marilyn Katz was an active and engaged citizen who was the ultimate disrupter for the best causes; she will be remembered for fighting for what she believed in and standing by her convictions in an effort to make things better for the City of Chicago, the State of Illinois, and the nation; and

WHEREAS, Marilyn Katz is survived by her husband, Scott Chambers, and her children, Grady Chambers and Halley Chambers; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Marilyn Katz and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Marilyn Katz as an expression of our deepest sympathy.