Leaders of the United Church of Christ (UCC) are expected to announce today that they will join the list of conventions and performers honoring the boycott of Cincinnati.

        Two news conferences are scheduled for noon — one at the group's national offices in Cleveland and the other at Greater Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in Carthage — to explain the UCC's position.

        Representatives of the Ministers for Racial, Economic and Social Justice — a group of African-American clergy within the UCC — will urge members nationwide to stay away from Cincinnati.

        Ron Buford, a spokesman for the United Church of Christ, said the group, which holds its national convention every two years, would not consider Cincinnati as a destination as long as the current racial climate exists. The group did not have a convention scheduled for Cincinnati this year.

        “We are a church with a long and deep commitment to justice for all people,” Mr. Buford said in a phone interview from Washington, D.C. “This issue has risen to a heightened level of importance for many UCC leaders and members across the nation.”

        The announcement comes a day before U.S. District Judge Susan Dlott will hold a “fairness hearing” on the city's agreement to settle lawsuits over police treatment of African-American citizens.

        Boycott organizers said Tuesday they were pleased by the latest show of support for their cause.

        “We continue to hear about cancellations daily, many of which do not even make the news,” said Juleana Frierson, chief of staff for the Cincinnati Black United Front. “The boycott continues.”

        The United Church of Christ represents 6,000 congregations and 1.4 million members, 92 percent of whom are white.

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