What an interesting question. I've moved around the US quite a bit, but when I lived in areas that were pretty much racially segregated, I chose to live in the black/POC neighborhoods instead of the all white neighborhoods. None of my white friends understood; they assumed it had to be for financial reasons. The truth is that I have always felt more comfortable in diverse settings. As for safety issues, I never felt unsafe in diverse settings. In any neighborhood, you learn to stay away from the drug-dealing streets or to turn your head if you happen to catch a deal going down. The places I felt the most unsafe were in states with virtually no gun restrictions. Like when you see Proud Boys walking by carrying guns. I know your question wasn't about what one appears to be, but I have been mistaken for mixed-race many, many times. I've had store security grab me by the arms and push me down to the ground because a cashier forget to take one of those stupid security devices off of clothing that I had purchased. Even when shopping with my sister, who is very much a white girl. There are 2 Whole Foods stores, one with a diverse clientele, and a smaller store that I call the "racist WF", as everyone who works there is white. I am always followed all around that store, being watched for shoplifting. I no longer go to that branch. I was kicked out of a public swimming pool when I was a kid, called the N- word, even though I was there with my sister who tried to defend me. I was also chased out of playgrounds with taunts of the N-word when I was a child. I don't identify with whiteness at all. I find myself very uncomfortable in all-white settings. So, to answer your question, I would be okay with being legally identified as black.