Every year on May 26, Australians celebrate Sorry Day, also known as the National Day of Healing, that remembers and commemorates the mistreatment of the country’s Indigenous peoples, particularly members of the Stolen Generations. The date was selected because on that date in 1997 the Bringing Them Home report was published - a report that highlighted the many human rights violations toward Aboriginal people when children were removed from their families. In 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd formally said “sorry” to Aboriginal Australians for this violence at a large public event. Ten years later, author Coral Vass and illustrator Dub Leffler (the current resident artist at Kluge-Ruhe) created a book called Sorry Day that addresses the history of the Stolen Generations and Sorry Day for children. The book is very popular in Australia and is the Winner of the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) 2019 Book of the Year Eve Pownall Award for Information Books and was also the Winner of the 2018 Speech Pathology Book of the Year - Best Book for Language and Literacy Development Indigenous Children Award.
In this program, Coral and Dub will talk about the history of Sorry Day, why this story is so important for children, and how the book came to be the award-winning piece of children’s literature it is today. For ages 5-105. This event is free and open to the public.
Coral Vass is an award-winning Australian children’s author. She has always loved telling stories and has been writing books for over ten years. With numerous best-sellers, Coral’s awards include the 2018 Speech Pathology Awards for Best Book- Indigenous Children and the 2019 CBCA Book of the Year Eve Pownall Award for Sorry Day. She has also been shortlisted for the REAL Awards, voted by the children of Australia. Coral is an ambassador for Reading Out of Poverty and is passionate about giving all children an equal opportunity to read.
The Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia is the only museum outside of Australia dedicated to the exhibition and study of Indigenous Australian art. Whether onsite or online, we aim to amplify Indigenous perspectives and foster inspirational cross-cultural experiences to deepen appreciation and understanding of our shared humanity. We believe the most inspiring journeys are personal, immersive, uplifting and enlightening, with twists and turns we can’t predict. We provide platforms for you to chart your own path as you explore our unique collection of art and stories that are embedded with deep historical and cultural significance.
We are located in Charlottesville, Virginia and came to exist through the generosity of two prominent American collectors, Edward L. Ruhe and John W. Kluge. To learn more, visit us at kluge-ruhe.org