Midas1, the claim that diversity is meritorious is not just opinion. It exists in "the domain of fact" and there are studies to back it up.

According to McKinsey, "Companies in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity are 35 percent more likely to have financial returns above their respective national industry medians.". http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/why-diversity-matters

Many other studies have found that diverse groups outperform homogenous groups. "The groups with racial diversity significantly outperformed the groups with no racial diversity. Being with similar others leads us to think we all hold the same information and share the same perspective. This perspective, which stopped the all-white groups from effectively processing the information, is what hinders creativity and innovation." https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-diversity-makes-us-smarter/