(CNN) -- "I AM" is a new CNN.com feature built on the belief that the labels we use for one another don't really reveal who we are.



We present a collection of people who may surprise you. They not only defy their labels, but they've done it in very public and dramatic ways.



This week, I AM presents four African-Americans who challenge conventional notions of blackness. But then defining what it means to be black has long been a matter of debate within the African-American community. The R&B singer, Billy Paul, once had a song called, "Am I Black Enough?"   Well are they? You be the judge.   Barbara Hillary  -- At the age of 75, she became the first African American woman to reach the North Pole.



Maurice Ashley  -- Is the first and only African American to attain the coveted title of International Grand Master of Chess.   Bliss Broyard  -- Author of "One Drop: My Father's Hidden Life -- A Story of Race & Family Secrets," learned her father was black just before his death.  Marvin Perkins  -- As an African American elder in the Mormon church, Perkins says he is one of the world's best kept secrets in the world.
What is "I AM"? What doesn't reveal who we are? What did four African Americans challenge? What is "I AM" built upon?
a new CNN.com feature the labels conventional notions of blackness. don't really reveal who we are.
question: What is "I AM"?, answer: a new CNN.com feature | question: What doesn't reveal who we are?, answer: the labels | question: What did four African Americans challenge?, answer: conventional notions of blackness. | question: What is "I AM" built upon?, answer: don't really reveal who we are.