Around here black (the colour itself, rather than a largely misrepresented skin tone) is about as positive and patriotic as you can get… black being NZ’s sporting colour and most Kiwis being sports mad.
National sports teams names tend towards using some combination of: Black, Silver, Fern, and/or White…
Our national sports teams include the All Blacks (rugby), Black Caps (cricket), the Tall Blacks (basketball), Black Ferns (women’s rugby), Black Sox (softball), and the Black Sticks (field hockey)…
The badminton team were temporarily called the Black Cocks… but they seem to have dropped that name.
I know I’ve recounted on the Dope before about the time a colleague of mine was approached and critized in a Portland, OR gym for her “racist hat” (an All Blacks cap)… and knowing the firey temper of the lady involved… ouch.
But just in case All Blacks is insufficient to cause heart palpatations in Americans…we also have our national soccer team… the All Whites.
As the OP’s link shows the Irish for a black man is “fear gorm”, which directly translates as blue man.
This thread reminds me of Jim Jones’ white nights.