Montgomery, Alabama- Loraine Johnson is a woman who is always devoted to God and has a deep love for her sisters. Johnson is the CEO and founder of SWANS, which stands for Sisters With a New Standard. SWANS is a non-profit group that aims to inspire and lift up a new generation of women. SWANS gives its members a sense of unity and power that they can only get from being a part of it. SWANS takes care of each of its members by educating them, giving them mentors, and pushing them to help out in their communities.
Loraine McKinney was born in July of 1965, and Johnson was born to Mr Isaac, who had died, and Evangelist Annie Laura McKinney. Johnson and her eleven brothers grew up in the small Alabama town of Goodwater. She got her high school diploma from Goodwater in 1983, and then she went to Jacksonville State University to get her bachelor’s degree in social work. In the future, Johnson would go to Troy University and get a master’s degree in Science and Psychology. She got married to Kevin Lamar Johnson in 1995. The couple would have six children and ten grandkids in the future. Johnson works for the state of Alabama right now as a Senior Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor.
Johnson had high dreams that she would get into a sorority when she was in college. But even though she wanted it, she started to see that her path was different. Before her second marriage, Johnson was in a bad marriage that was violent and cruel. After she got away, she was surrounded by other women who loved and helped her.
“They were so instrumental in making sure that I had a place to live and any necessities that I needed. All I saw were other women, some in the same situation that I was in. I felt that with everything going in my life, how could I give back, to not only women in general, but to the women in this community, that received me? I started realizing that as my walk with Christ increased, I became more visual as to what God wanted for me. Instead of joining a sisterhood, I had to start one,” says Johnson.
She took a chance and started SWANS in 2015. In 2021, she will also release Married to Fear, A Testimony of Abuse and Redemption, a memoir on her domestic abuse experience.
SWANS started out as a safe place for women over 35 who wanted to form close bonds with other women. It tells its members to reach out to each other in times of need or trouble and help each other up. SWANS members also help each other celebrate and reach important goals. 
Johnson says, “It’s a sisterhood that is geared towards uplifting, empowering and challenging women toward a new standard. The new standard concentrates on renewing the community through service, leadership, and educational initiatives. Founded on principles of comradery, love, grace and professionalism, the organization is carried by the forever bond of uplifting each sister.”
Johnson decided to expand the sisterhood to younger girls through a mentorship program called the Swanzettes as the organization grew. The curriculum is designed for girls aged 12 and up. The Swanzettes attend college and job tours, as well as cleanliness and etiquette classes and getaways. Every year, two graduating Swanzette members are eligible for an organization scholarship.
Johnson says, “In 2018, I started the Swanzettes, which is a sisterhood for young teenage girls to help prepare and expose them to a higher standard by means of mentoring, exposing and setting an example.”
SWANS not only nurtures and cares for its members, but it also loves the community whenever possible. SWANS actively distributes food to individuals in need in partnership with the Montgomery Area Food Bank. The charity also organizes back-to-school uniform and school supply drives.
Despite the success of SWANS and its outreach to women all around the city, Johnson is sometimes fatigued. However, her devotion to God, her family, and the service she provides to others around her drives her to keep going.
Johnson says, “I do find myself getting so overwhelmed to the point where I get discouraged. But I know that I must keep in my forefront that I am on an assignment. I know that God has ordered my steps and I know that at the end of the day, he is going to get the victory.”
Johnson has high expectations for SWANS’s future. She imagines a future in which SWANS may reach women all around the planet.
“My vision for SWANS is for it to not just be local, but for it to be international. I want to have women involved and interested in becoming mentors. I want it to be overfilled with women wanting to help these girls. Transportation is such a barrier here in Montgomery for a lot of people. I would like to have our own means of transportation, our own van to drive and pick up our girls,” says Johnson. “I would also like to have the financial resources where we wouldn’t have to worry about the extent of the services that we can offer.”
Interested in becoming a mentor or learning more about SWANS? Visit their Facebook page Swans- Montgomery1 | Facebook and their website at Home | Swans (sisterswithanewstandard.com)
Married to Fear: A Testimony of Abuse and Redemption is available on Amazon, Walmart, and eBay.
