After President-elect Joe Biden declared victory over Donald Trump on Saturday, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris reaffirmed that Black women were the “backbone” behind their election. 

Recent data from exit polls conducted by Edison Research indicate nearly nine in 10 Black women said they voted for Biden, while eight in 10 Black men said they voted for the former vice president. Meanwhile, about seven in 10 Latina women said they voted for Biden, compared to about six in 10 Latino men.

Democrats lost ground with white voters as more than half of white women voted for Trump, The Washington Post reports.

On Monday, Sen. Harris wrote a tweet expressing her gratitude for Black women who have supported Biden and the Democratic party as fervently as any block of voters in the country.

“I want to speak directly to the Black women in our country. Thank you. You are too often overlooked, and yet are asked time and again to step up and be the backbone of our democracy. We could not have done this without you,” she wrote.

Over the weekend, the president-elect thanked his supporters in the Black community during his victory speech.

“You’ve always had my back, and I’ll have yours,” Biden said.

Biden and Harris’ sentiments reverberated throughout social media as celebrities and athletes joined thousands of people celebrating the efforts of Black women.

U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team MVP Megan Rapinoe shared her appreciation to the women who have been overlooked for too long.

“Thank you Black Women,” she wrote.

Los Angeles Lakers star and four-time NBA champion LeBron James reiterated that women like Georgia activist Stacey Abrams and former first lady Michelle Obama helped drive the work of social justice organizations like his More Than A Vote group.

Popular songwriter and YouTube actress Anna Akana tweeted that Black women are why the country will be saved.

Actress and director Lena Waithe also got in on the wave of gratitude, posting a video honoring Black girls, Black women and their contributions to democracy.

The short ad opens with an audio recording from Sen. Harris, followed by text that reads “Black women on the political front have saved yet another election.”

“To Black women, to Black girls, to essential workers this is our moment,” Democratic Representative-elect Cori Bush said in the video.

On Monday, The View co-host Sunny Hostin shared that she was elated upon hearing the news of Biden’s victory and thanked Black women for their continued effort in building America into a better place.

“I’m proud of Black women once again being the backbone of the Democratic party.”

Even though there are a couple of months before Biden's inauguration, he and Harris are working preemptively to get a hold of the COVID-19 pandemic plaguing the country. As Blavity previously reported, Biden named Yale professor Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, a Black woman, to co-chair a coronavirus task force to help guide Biden’s transition team.

Appreciation for Black women must transcend beyond lip service: advocate for your Black female co-workers, educate yourself on misogynoir and get involved in the fight for Black women's reproductive health. This is just the beginning. 

Joe BidenKamala HarrisLeBron-JamesLena WaitheMegan Rapinoe