The exception would be cases like Pele who is no longer considered dark because of his prestige. Although the black-white dichotomy is absent, lighter skin is still associated with higher prestige and wealth while darker skin is associated with lower prestige and wealth. Because US popular culture uses race and ethnicity interchangeably to mean the same thing. We hear this in everyday conversations, we also hear it in the media. Each of these groups sees their own particular perception as real and true.
Many groups see race as an important element of their cultural identity.
In turn they are classified and seen by others in terms of race. In other cases, such as the burakumin example in Japan, phenotype is not important in defining race, but descent is. Sometimes several groups hold a common assumption or stereotype about a particular race. E.g. Blacks have more rhythm or Asians are hard workers. Races are often constructed differently by different groups and may be the basis for racism and discrimination.