As it happens, I know quite a few "whites" who identify as "black". Many African Americans accept them as part of the "black" community, many don't. I also know some "blacks" who identify as "white" -- their reception is generally mixed in both communities.
Self-identity is a complex, multi-faceted matter that sometimes supersedes empirical and legal facts. No one is better able to define one's self-identity than oneself. It is foolish, counterproductive, and sometimes debilitatingly painful when self-identities are imposed from the outside.
