Race is very easy to focus on without making any structural changes in society. A black man was president. So long as it's the right black man, it doesn't change much.
There is still structural codified racism within US borders. For instance, it's illegal for non-native US nationals/citizens to own most property in American Samoa, in effect perpetuating racism against outsiders who are also US nationals.
The "US national" status is a legacy of the Insular Cases, and all the other cases formerly in this bucket have either gained independence (Philippines) or become full US citizens (Guam, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands).
So in the hypothetical case that American Samoa is returned to Samoa, the logical options are to either make all American Samoans citizens of Samoa, or to give them the option to choose between Samoan and American citizenship. In either case the weird "national" status will cease to exist.
Hawaii's housing law that allows historically disadvantaged outsiders like the US-naturalized Filipinos who came in as cheap farm labor to actually OWN land are why half my family even has their own meager slice of property today.
Under American Samoan rules non-native minorities like blacks and filipinos are in effect excluded from property ownership rights of nearly all of American Samoa. I can't believe people here are effectively pro-racism in housing. Codified racism of property rights are not acceptable within US borders.
I was describing the motivation, not supporting it.
But sure, I can understand why a nation wants to preserve some of its self determination, rather than become a remote province with a 75% foreign population.
I can also understand the plight of the local foreign underclass.
I appreciate you "not supporting it" even though you've very selectively chosen to express "understanding" in instances where that understanding aligns with racism. To be clear, you are against racist property ownership laws and thus against the racism of the local government of American Samoa, correct?
>the plight of the local foreign underclass
The disadvantaged minorities (such as Filipinos) I'm referring to who thankfully were actually allowed to own land in Hawaii are almost all US nationals, not foreigners. Under the racist laws of Americas Samoa they would be excluded from land ownership, even as fellow US nationals residing in American Samoa.