Why people bring race into touchy matters

Okay before I give my two cents in this matter so as to speak, my posts is in no way to offend anybody sensitivities nor should be construed in anyway blasphemous to any religion or religious beliefs. Now that is out of the way so what I am talking about. Recently a television host in the heat of the moment or whatever came over her said that Santa Clause is a white character (and I don’t have to elaborate it any further) and most of the people wished she could have kept it to that. But no when your mind stops working you say things which you regret later on or just retract when you become mentally sober. And put Santa Clause (an obviously fictitious character) with Jesus Christ (obviously an historical and biblical Character) was not a smart move but you know sometimes smart people do make dumb moves. And out it came from her mouth that Jesus Christ was a white person. Now why would she utter such a thing when she knows that it is a touchy subject for majority of people and they don’t talk about it? I don’t really understand why some people have to create controversies like this when you avoid it entirely and think about other problems that the world is facing. Does it really matter if Jesus Christ was black or white? I mean what does race got to do with his mission and his affect on the world history? Why do we have to see somebody in a race issue and not what the person's character and personality stand for?