I think your first point deserves more discussion.

I'm hopeful that the current spotlight on Harvard and Ackman's essay will lead to a constructive dialog. I agree whole heartedly that, "There is no agreed upon definitions so everyone has a different idea of what they are discussing which can make conversations difficult." That needs to change and hopefully Ackman's essay will cause a step in the right direction.

This might be part of the Rorschach test, but I did not read Ackman's essay as presenting an argument of diversity efforts generally. Rather, I read it as an argument against the "oppressor/oppressed framework" that is rooted in critical theory, has evolved in critical race theory, is fundamental to Kendi's racist/anti-racist dichotomy, and is integral to some peoples' understanding of DEI. As Ackman wrote, "Then I did more research. The more I learned, the more concerned I became, and the more ignorant I realized I had been about DEI, a powerful movement that has not only pervaded Harvard, but the educational system at large. I came to understand that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion was not what I had naively thought these words meant."

As a condition precedent to making real improvements, we need to agree on what the relevant words mean.