Photos by Rink
Michael Smith, the Irish Consul General in San Francisco, and San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie unveiled the newest plaque on the Rainbow Honor Walk; it honors Irish human rights activist Roger Casement (1864–1916). The October 28, 2025, ceremony took place outside 501 Castro Street, near the Bank of America building.
The ceremony was led by San Francisco Bay Times columnist Donna Sachet, who serves as President of the Rainbow Honor Walk Board of Directors. A highlight of the ceremony was the performance of a song in Gaelic by Commander Jack Hart of the San Francisco Police Department.
A diplomat turned activist, Casement remains one of Ireland’s most complex and inspiring historical figures; he was a man of profound moral conviction and compassion. After joining the British Foreign Ministry in 1901 and serving as Consul at Boma in the Congo, Casement investigated and exposed human rights abuses under King Leopold II’s brutal regime. His groundbreaking “Casement Report” (1904) helped end a 23-year reign of terror in the so-called “Congo Free State,” forcing international reform.
In 1911, Casement knelt before King George V and was knighted for his humanitarian work. Five years later, he was arrested for his role in the Easter Uprising in 1916. During his trial, he was exposed as a homosexual, which many believed fueled hatred of him at the time and drew attention away from his once-lauded humanitarian efforts. He was executed in prison.
As Sachet shares in this issue of the San Francisco Bay Times, additional plaques will soon be added to the Rainbow Honor Walk in the coming weeks. https://rainbowhonorwalk.org/
Published on November 6, 2025
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