Victimhood on full display. It's a fricking metaphor and figure of speech. Note below how little reference it's given with respect to it's use on blacks. Blacks were also lynched, horse whipped, etc. In other words, all traditional forms of punishment have been applied across the board but black people "own" them all as a symbol of oppression. I guess we need to eliminate all those other "punishment" figures of speech as well.
Next time someone speaks of an individual being "crucified", I expect Christians to loudly complain.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tar_and_feather
Tarring and feathering is a physical punishment, at least as old as the Crusades, used to enforce formal justice in feudal Europe and informal justice in Europe and its colonies in the early modern period, as well as the early American frontier, mostly as a type of mob vengeance (compare Lynch law).
[big snip - most of article]
Also in the early 20th century many African Americans were subjected to this treatment as a form of punishment, often for unjust and circumstantial reasons.( this is and unreferenced assertions and should be checked)
Metaphorical uses
The image of the tarred-and-feathered outlaw is so vivid that the expression remains a metaphor for a humiliating public castigation, many years after the practice disappeared. An example (in a story serial in a web forum) is: "The last episode was meant to be a cliffhanger, but readers' comments showed that they would tar and feather me if I did not quickly rescue the hero and show what happened next.".
Ironically, we are no longer allowed to "go on a crusade" because it might offend Islam.