Does anyone have any suggestions for shooting dark skinned people (black people).... I seem to really struggle getting appropriate exposure for black people... I'm sure there is a trick to it but I just have not found it yet... It seems that my background is fairly blown out if I get good exposure levels on the face... Any tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated...

For docs and news gathering this can especially be a problem just ask the person to move so the lichtsource can shine on them.( sun , house lights etc)
Or get a on camera light for interviews.
If you can afford a crew get one to hold a reflector to bounce back light so the sky doesn't get washed up.
If you shoot commercials just light them the same as you would anybody else.
There was a trick with sony vx2000 and the nd filter but it 's been a while since I used it .If I figure it out I'll post back

try to avoid lighter backgrounds as the differences in contrast will drive you crazy ( sounds like you've found that out already)
a trick I just read recently (might have been from Dick Renzer's tips to clip) is getting a piece of dark window screening and hang it behind the subject. I think it said this could give you 2 f/stops and the backgfround will be darker and defused.

I have used a gold coloured reflector before which seamed to work pretty well.

It is hard but your best bet is to set your zebra to 80% and use ample light from whatever source.

I read a lot of stuff about it being difficult (lighting for an interview) but it wasn't.

With a very fair skinned person in shot with a black face there's no alternative but to expose for the white face - on the understanding that it's far easier to use the 'region' filter to lighten a portion of the frame than it is to try and tone down over-exposure.

With a mixture of races at an event I find it's ok to keep the exposure locked for the majority for all of the time, but for closeups it's advisable to open the iris by up to a stop for the very dark skinned.

Get to know and love your heard of zebras.

tom.