Dropping the Mask: Transracial Adoption, Black Identity, and Reclaiming Home with Erik Mohn

What does it cost an adopted person to wear a mask just to keep the world comfortable—and what does it take to finally take the armor off?

In this October episode of Born in June, Raised in April, host April Dinwoodie sits down with Erik Mohn, author of his debut memoir Stranger in My Own Story, for an electric, soul-baring conversation on transracial adoption, race, culture, family and Black masculinity.

Reflecting on growing up as a Black boy raised by white parents in Massachusetts, Erik candidly unpacks the heavy burden of being “born brokenhearted” and armoring up with humor, chameleonic code-switching, and cultural performance just to survive. Together, April and Erik explore the lifelong journey of putting the fragmented pieces of an origin story back together—and how the unique, hard-won vantage point of transracial adoptees holds profound lessons for healing, corporate spaces, and human relationships at large.