DEI initiatives are necessary. Minorities and under represented groups - even when most qualified ir even equally qualified are leas likely to be interviewed / hired to a statistically significant degree.
Ford's leadership - at every level - is primarily white and male. At levels that are statistically higher than the actual makeup of the country or local area.
So what drives that? White men are more comfortable around other white men. There are plenty of studies that show two identical resumes - one has a stereotypical white/male name and the other has a stereotypical black/Indian/female name and the white/male resume gets selected more often to a statistically significant degree.
And it's no surprise when white people - especially white men see that non white male employees are being saught - get very angry. They don't view it as equality or equity. They view it as a loss. That somehow sharing an equitable amount of roles means that they get less. And the company isn't looking to make all roles minority held. Ford is going to make each location align with countrybor local demographics.
Here's an example. In South Africa, the white minority established apartheid so that they could remain in control. They took all farm land from black farmers. Decades later, after apartheid was eradicated, the farmland was taken back. The white farmers - generations removed from the original theft - felt devastated and felt that they shouldn't have to lose their land. That's similar to how the job market is these days. White people unfairly cornered the best roles and excluded non white males from them. Now that companies are beginning to ensure that those underrepresented groups - only highly qualified candidates - are being equally considered, the white legacy employees are furious and feel they are being robbed. When really, the company is finally attempting to be equitable to all groups. None of this should bother anyone.