I work for a university department, and our programs strive to make “DEI” and “merit” literally the same thing. We want the best and the brightest, so we try to overcome the barriers that keep them down, such as family history and economic circumstances. Those factors disproportionately affect people from minority groups because of historical reality, and that’s the only reason that race even enters into it. Many of the people in our programs are white people from poorer backgrounds. We don’t control the admissions process, we just try to get the best people to apply.

Put another way, the people with the family and cultural background (i.e. money, knowledge, and connections) to get into grad school are not always the same people with the best scientific minds.

Put yet another way, if the result of your hiring process is all weathier, white men, that’s prima facie proof that the hiring metric was not merit.