Like Water, I Rise by Kelly Justus

About the Author

Kelly Justus

Kelly Justus grew up in Greenville, South Carolina — a city of contradictions, of beauty and hardship, of roots that both anchor and constrain. Her journey from those streets to the surface is a testament to the power of story and the refusal to stay submerged.

A writer, advocate, and survivor, Kelly channels lived experience into words that move — and move others to act.

rising together

Like Water, I Rise is more than a memoir — it is a call to witness. Kelly Justus writes from the intersection of personal survival and collective struggle, asking readers to see the systems that shape lives and the communities that sustain them.

The book advocates for those who have been pushed beneath the surface — by silence and systems that were never designed with them in mind. It insists that rising is not an individual act. It is a communal one.