No mayor rides in every town parade. But when Barry Hayden, the unpaid chief executive of rural Hempstead, Texas, declined to roll along in this year's Juneteenth parade, his decision sparked a protest on his front lawn - and turned up the heat on simmering racial tensions over the dismal upkeep of the town's African-American cemeteries.

Beyond the intricacies of small-town race relations, though, the protest underscored the fervor surrounding a holiday many Americans aren't even aware of.

The events of June 19, 1865, may not have made their way into every US history textbook, but they've spawned a growing movement for a National Emancipation Day. Already, a dozen states, from Connecticut to California, officially celebrate Juneteenth - shorthand for June 19 - and activists are pushing for a federal holiday, too. The road, of course, is steep: When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday became a federal holiday in 1986 - the first such designation since Thanksgiving was declared in 1941 - it was with congressional reluctance, regional resentment, and Republican Sen. Jesse Helms's threat of a filibuster. Among opponents' objections: How to navigate the thorny path of choosing holiday-worthy heroes?

But the obstacles of federal recognition haven't dampened the enthusiasm of activists pushing for a holiday that some see as a crucial postscript to July 4.

On June 19, 138 years ago, African-Americans in Texas learned of their freedom - nearly 2-1/2 years after slavery had officially ended with President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. So thrilled were those blacks who listened to Union Gen. Gordon Granger deliver the news after landing in Galveston and placing the city under martial law, that they raced into the streets, leaping and singing.

On that day, the story goes, they proclaimed they would never forget the date they were freed. And as Texans have migrated across the country over the last century, they've taken that vow along. While some have ribbed Texans for celebrating a dispatch so long deferred, the day's significance here is clear.

"To some extent, it is a sad day, like when an anticipated letter is lost. But the contents of that letter are not devalued by the delay in delivery," says Clifton Taulbert, an African-American author based in Tulsa. And the delay, he insists, should not diminish the hoopla. "We look at Juneteenth as: Our most distant cousin has finally gotten the letter - and now we can all celebrate together."

Juneteenth celebrations haven't evolved much in 138 years. Most still include free barbecue and red soda, music, and parades. But some national groups are trying to include an educational component, so that younger generations won't forget the history of the date.

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