Grammy award-winning singer John Legend announced his new initiative to combat communities affected by systemic racism, PR Newswire reports.

HUMANLEVEL seeks to work alongside residents, community stakeholders, and local government officials to create progressive projects that address the immediate needs of communities at the city and local levels. Additionally, the initiative will advocate for more equitable policies at the state and federal level. 

The initiative plans to work on several issues that negatively impact local cities such as housing, employment, education, health, and the criminal justice system.

The first 11 communities that HUMANLEVEL will begin working in are Atlanta, Austin, Birmingham, Durham, Houston, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Oakland, Pittsburgh, and Washington, D.C. 

Legend, a staunch advocate of social justice, shared his vision to create more equitable communities in an official statement.

"We've started an initiative called HUMANLEVEL where local governments have invited us to work on specific projects to make their communities stronger and more equitable,” Legend said. “Many of the problems our country faces today are difficult to address at the federal level. Many issues are really at the doorstep of your mayor, your county council, and your community leaders coming together to answer questions about how we can support each other, keep each other safe, and rebuild our country in a way that truly includes everyone." 

HUMANLEVEL’s partners include The Rockefeller Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Sony Music Group, and Twitter co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey‘s #StartSmall.

"The current social and economic disruptions have created a unique opportunity in which we can truly reimagine and rebuild our cities,” FUSE Corps CEO James Weinberg said. “There is inspiring change happening at the local and regional levels—not as a substitute for national policy, but as a spark and guide for it—and we are thrilled that FUSE Corps, in partnership with HUMANLEVEL, can help drive this local momentum."

In a tweet, Legend expressed his gratitude for his partners in the effort and looks forward to working for long-lasting transformation, beginning at the local level.

“Building trust within our communities is so integral to conversations surrounding equity,” his tweet stated. “Thank you to @FUSECorps Fellow @trendonthis for your leadership! This kind of racial justice is what we're trying to make happen in cities across the country with humanlevel.org!"

HUMANLEVEL is an expansion of Legend's FREEAMERICA campaign which seeks to end mass incarceration and invest in communities.

To learn more about the initiative, go to www.humanlevel.org.