I am a founder member of a black face Border morris Team, The Dartford Motley, later Motley Morris, although I have long retired from dancing.
We were one of the earliest teams to take up the style, certainly in the South East, largely under the influence of John Kirkpatricks Shropshire Bedlams.
During our early years we regularly danced around South London, and North Kent areas with quite a sizeable,Black population, to the best of my recollection we never experienced any hostility from these people, amusement sometimes, and Much Ribald jocularity. The hostility towards black faces seems to have come about in fairly recent times and as far as I can see seems to emanate, in the main not from black people themselves, but by a section of the white population who chose to speak on others behalf, and seem to see affront in quite unintentional areas, and are determined to pin the racist label on everything they see around them, wether or not there is any intent to insult or hurt.