Tee Marie
My name is Tee Marie Hanible. I was born and raised in Chicago. I am a Marine veteran of twenty years recently retired from the U.S. Marine Corps. I am an activist, nonprofit founder, and co-star on the FOX show American Grit, hosted by John Cena. More importantly, I am a wife and mother.
What are your fears for yourself, for your family, for your country?
My current fear for my country — a country that I’ve served — is that we are headed towards certain doom. What I mean by that is that we have now, by our actions, said it is okay to assault women. We’ve said it’s okay to demonize whole races of people. And that is absolutely not okay!
What are your hopes and dreams for the future?
My dream is that we unite as a people against injustice.
Why are you marching in the Women’s March on Washington?
I march for my fellow sisters-in-arms. I march for my daughters. I march for women everywhere because we deserve the promises our nation made to us! Our women veterans deserve to not be homeless. Our working-class women deserve to make the same as their male counterparts. Women deserve the right to make their own decisions regarding their bodies. I didn’t serve two decades fighting for human rights in other countries just to return home and not have the same rights as the men I served with!
What do you hope that the Women’s March on Washington will achieve?
I hope that the world will take notice and realize we are not going to stand idly by and let misogyny, sexism, fascism, and hate groups run this country. We will rise up!
I march so that my daughters and my daughter’s daughters will never have to!
[Editor’s note: The interview was conducted via email.]
