It's been coupled together from the start, but I have been seeing it more often recently, in particular with the whole Boeing fiasco, multiple outlets blaming DEI. Wouldn't be surprised if Boeing was behind the propaganda efforts to help deflect responsibility.
It’s also being used in the Baltimore bridge collapse. Lots of “the boat wouldn’t have hit it if they had more white people on the crew. This was caused by DEI hiring inept crews” and “it’s cuz of all the lazy black people getting hired to work on the bridge. It wouldn’t have collapsed if white people were maintaining it” rhetoric.
Both of those felt gross to even type out, but I have 100% seen both of them being parroted in response to the collapse.
Not only is it gross and racist as you've laid out, I think the other purpose the "woke, esg, dei, crt" conspiracy stuff serves is as a thought ender. If a poorly maintained ship loses power and hits a bridge, you might start to think about why the economic incentives and laws are set up in such a way that would allow that to happen. But if someone blames it on dei, well, deep down there's no way you're really going to believe that. But it gives you a pressure release for the cognitive dissonance that otherwise might cause you to have to examine your own beliefs. The angrier you get about it, the less reflection you have to do. Especially as we are wired to be tribal, so blaming the screwup on the woke libs feels a lot better than listening and thinking through things.