Understanding the “Too Many Black Faces” Debate: A Guide to the Six Stages Framework

1. Introduction: A Comment That Revealed More Than Intended: So what does “too many Black faces” mean to you?

When a public figure, MP Sarah Pochin, claimed there were “too many Black faces in adverts,” the comment sparked a significant public debate. While many were quick to dismiss the statement as a simple mistake, it revealed a deeper and more complex cultural issue bubbling just beneath the surface. As an Educational Psychologist, I see such moments not just as political gaffes, but as valuable diagnostic windows into the underlying beliefs, fears, and cognitive frameworks that shape our public conversations about race and belonging.

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This raises a crucial question: What’s really going on beneath the surface of a comment like this? To find the answer, we can turn to the work of Dr. Shungu M’gadzah, an Educational Psychologist who created a powerful tool designed to map and understand exactly these kinds of moments.

This document will explain Dr. M’gadzah’s Six Stages Framework (SSF) by using this real-world event as a clear and insightful case study. To understand this moment, we first need to look at the tool Dr. M’gadzah uses: The Six Stages Framework.

2. What is the Six Stages Framework? A Map for Understanding Reactions to Diversity

The Six Stages Framework (SSF) was created by Dr. Shungu M’gadzah to explore and map how individuals and groups respond to issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. It is not a judgment tool, but a diagnostic one, helping us understand the underlying beliefs and motivations behind different reactions.

The framework covers a wide spectrum of responses, from deeply negative stages rooted in exclusion and hate to highly positive stages characterized by proactive leadership and allyship. It provides a shared language to identify where someone is in their journey and what growth might look like.

Here is a complete overview of the framework:

Stage	Stage Name	Description
Stage -6	Violent Exclusion	Hate-driven exclusion (e.g., racist backlash online)
Stage -5	Active Hate	Deliberate racist messaging or trolling
Stage -4	Defensive Retrenchment	Coded racial discomfort (e.g., “too many Black faces”)
Stage -3	Ideological Superiority	Superiority complex (e.g., “Britishness is whiteness”)
Stage -2	Cultural Resistance	Pushback against DEI efforts as ‘overcorrection’
Stage -1	Discomfort/Silence	Unspoken discomfort (e.g., “I don’t see colour”)
Stage 0	Unaware but Open	Open but unaware (e.g., “I never noticed this issue”)
Stage 1	Curious/Listening	Asking questions (e.g., “Why is this offensive?”)
Stage 2	Allyship	Supportive voices calling out bias
Stage 3	Equity Advocate	Actively promoting equity and fairness
Stage 4	Truth-Teller	Naming systemic issues (e.g., Lee Jasper’s post)
Stage 5	Strategic Leader	Linking diversity to power, strategy, economics
Stage 6	Equity Visionary	Championing inclusion as national and global identity

Now that we have a map of the stages, let’s use it to analyze the different positions in the “Too Many Black Faces” debate.

3. Case Study: Unpacking the Debate Through the SSF Lens

This section provides a practical application of the framework, showing how it can be used to deconstruct the different viewpoints expressed during the public debate over representation in advertising.

3.1. The Negative Reaction: Stage -4 (Defensive Retrenchment)

In her analysis, Dr. M’gadzah places Sarah Pochin’s comments at Stage -4: Defensive Retrenchment. This stage is defined by a deep-seated resistance to cultural change, often disguised in more palatable language.

The core characteristics of this reaction include:

• Coded Resistance: The comment is not a literal observation about demographics but a form of coded resistance to the growing visibility of people who have historically been underrepresented. It shifts the true subject from advertising to power, identity, and control.

• Clinging to Old Norms: This stage reflects a powerful desire to return to a white-dominant cultural norm. The resistance is framed deceptively as a neutral call for “balance” or a defense of “tradition” to conceal the underlying discomfort with a changing society.

• Cloaking Discomfort as Objectivity: A key feature of this stage is the tactic of masking subjective cultural fear as an objective, fact-based observation. This allows the speaker to position their resistance as rational rather than emotional or prejudiced.

• Fear of Cultural Loss: At its heart, the sentiment is a response to a perceived loss of control over who gets to define “Britishness.” It is not about advertising figures, but about a feeling that the power to shape the national identity is slipping away.

3.2. The Proactive Response: Stage +5 (Strategic Equity Leadership)

In direct contrast to the negative reaction, the response from figures like Lee Jasper provides a clear example of Stage +5: Strategic Equity Leadership. This stage moves beyond simple support for diversity and frames it as an essential component of modern success.

The key principles of this stage, as seen in this response, are:

• Diversity as Strategy: This perspective reframes diversity not as a form of “charity” or “political correctness,” but as a strategic necessity. It is positioned as a fundamental requirement for commercial competence, connection, and performance in a multicultural and globalized world.

• Focus on Power and Economics: A Stage +5 response elevates the conversation from on-screen visibility to the more significant issues of power, economics, and national identity. It connects representation to the practical realities of building trust, reaching diverse audiences, and defining a modern, inclusive nation.

3.3. The Public Spectrum: How Society Reacted

The framework is also useful for categorizing the wider public reaction, which played out across social media. The responses revealed a clear spectrum of attitudes, falling into distinct stages.

Public Reactions Across the Framework

Framework Stage(s)	Example Comments & Sentiments
-5 / -4	“Woke madness,” “It’s just facts,” “Why can’t we say anything anymore?”
-2 / -1	Confused silence or private discomfort
+2 / +3	Allies naming the racism, educating others, demanding better

Analyzing these reactions reveals a crucial insight: the debate was never just about the number of faces in an advert; it was about the difference between visibility and real power.

4. The Core Insight: Representation is Not the Same as Power

A central flaw in the “too many” argument is the use of census statistics to critique on-screen visibility. This approach is misleading because it deliberately ignores the long history of exclusion that minority groups have faced in media. The argument is not about achieving perfect proportional representation; it is about correcting a historical imbalance.

Dr. M’gadzah’s analysis isolates this core truth with a powerful distinction:

“Appearing in an advert does not equate to having power in the boardroom, or ownership behind the camera.”

The Six Stages Framework makes this distinction clear: while a Stage +2 Ally might focus on the victory of on-screen visibility, a Stage +5 Strategic Leader understands that without a shift in boardrooms and ownership, such representation remains fragile. This clarifies the real issue at stake. The debate is not about proportion but about permission. It is a struggle over who is allowed to be seen, who is allowed to belong, and who gets to define the culture of modern Britain.

Understanding this distinction helps us reframe the entire conversation from one of division to one of shared growth.

5. Conclusion: Choosing a Future of Belonging

The Six Stages Framework proves to be more than an academic model; it is a powerful tool for civic understanding. It helps us look beneath the surface of controversial statements to diagnose the underlying beliefs and motivations at play. In the case of the “too many Black faces” debate, it reveals a tension between a past defined by exclusion and a future striving for authentic belonging.

Dr. M’gadzah leaves us with a final, piercing thought on the nature of this resistance to change:

“They’re not defending tradition. They’re defending decline.”

This perspective offers a clear choice. Diversity in our media doesn’t threaten Britishness; it is simply a mirror reflecting the dynamic, multicultural Britain that already exists.

6. Your Turn to Reflect

This framework is a tool for personal as well as public reflection. To apply these ideas to your own perspective, consider the following questions:

• Where do you see yourself on the Six Stages Framework when it comes to representation and race?

• Whose discomfort are we protecting when we resist inclusive storytelling?

• How can we support ourselves and others to grow across the Six Stages?NotebookLM can be inaccurate; please double check its responses.

“How People React to Representation: A Six Stages Lens

This handout (featured image) accompanies the podcast episode “Too Many Black Faces?” – Representation,

Retrenchment, and Racial Truths. It visually maps the Six Stages Framework (-6 to +6) and links

each stage to real-world responses to the current debate around race, representation, and

belonging in British media.

The Six Stages Framework (SSF) maps how individuals and institutions respond to increasing visibility of Black and Brown people, and invites us all to locate ourselves on the journey toward equity and inclusion.

Please check out my article and podcast analysis of this issue and media story through the SSF LENS.

Check out the SSF scale “From Resistance to Leadership: Mapping Reactions to Representation”

Linkedin post

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/too-many-black-faces-adverts-what-debate-really-through-m-gadzah-kjo0e

YouTube podcast analysis

Linkedin article

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/too-many-black-faces-adverts-what-debate-really-through-m-gadzah-kjo0e

Tiktok

@sixstagesframework

Too_Many_Black_Faces_ in _adverts “This is Through the SSF Lens – a podcast by Dr. Shungu M’gadzah, Educational Psychologist and creator of the Six Stages Framework. Each episode explores how we navigate equity, identity, and inclusion in today’s world. In this episode, we respond to the question: ‘Too Many Black Faces in Adverts?’ – and unpack what’s really going on beneath the surface.” “When Sarah Pochin, a Reform UK MP, claimed on live TV that there were ‘too many Black faces in adverts,’ many dismissed it as a slip. But I want to suggest it was something more serious: a revealing moment of cultural discomfort — and coded racism.” “As someone who works with leaders and communities across the UK, I use the Six Stages Framework, or SSF, to help unpack how we respond to diversity — from exclusion and resistance, all the way to empathy and equity leadership.” “Through the SSF lens, Sarah Pochin’s comments sit around Stage -4: Defensive Retrenchment. This stage is characterised by a desire to cling to old norms, often framed as ‘balance’ or ‘tradition.’ What we’re seeing here is not about advertising — it’s about power, identity, and control.” “When someone says there are ‘too many Black faces,’ they’re not commenting on demographics — they’re resisting change. Resisting the visibility of people who have long been underrepresented and misrepresented.” “By contrast, voices like Lee Jasper’s — who responded powerfully to Pochin’s claims — speak from a much higher place on the framework. Stage +5: Strategic Equity Leadership. He reminded us that diversity isn’t charity. It’s strategy. Representation builds trust, connection, and performance — especially in today’s global, multicultural, digital world.” “And here’s the truth: quoting Census stats to critique visibility is misleading. Black people may be 4% of the population, but we’ve been invisible in media for decades. Appearing in an advert does not equate to having power in the boardroom, or ownership behind the camera.” “This isn’t about overrepresentation. It’s about some people feeling they’ve lost control over who gets to define Britishness.” Listen to the podcast analysis. “So here are a few questions I leave with you: 🔹 Where do you see yourself on the Six Stages Framework when it comes to representation and race?
🔹 Whose discomfort are we protecting when we resist inclusive storytelling?
🔹 And what stories do we want the next generation to inherit — stories of decline, or of shared belonging?” “Because diversity in adverts is not a threat. It’s a mirror. And it reflects the Britain that already exists — whether some want to see it or not.” “Thank you for listening to Through the SSF Lens. If this resonated with you, share it, reflect on it, or have a conversation with someone who needs to hear it. To explore more, visit www.inclusionpsychologists.com and follow Dr. Shungu M’gadzah on LinkedIn.” This podcast is a project of Inclusion Psychologists Ltd. 🎧 Until next time — keep building bridges of empathy. Podcast correction: the comment: “Those who cannot see that are not defending tradition. They are defending decline.” is made by Lee Jasper and not Dr M’gadzah. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/leejasper_leadership-edi-cultureiscapital-activity-7388129822683742208-5sID?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAATDdFABitB0IcBtqj9mbmn1_f2_FcvsvRo See podcast analysis of this media story through the SSF LENS inspired by Lee Jasper’s post https://youtu.be/Xx0JmjQuRFM Linkedin article https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/too-many-black-faces-adverts-what-debate-really-through-m-gadzah-kjo0e Linkedin post https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/too-many-black-faces-adverts-what-debate-really-through-m-gadzah-kjo0e SixStagesFramework RepresentationMatters EquityInAction AntiRacism InclusiveLeadership DEI Belonging ThroughTheSSFLens PowerAndRepresentation MediaMatters UnpackingBias Leadership  EDI  CultureIsCapital  RaceEquality

♬ original sound – Dr Shungu-Six Stages Framework – Dr Shungu-Six Stages Framework

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