Before the 2014 legislative session ended, outgoing incumbents including Olumba delivered farewell speeches. Olumba said in his speech that the Asian and Chaldean communities "should have a Black Misery Appreciation Day; they’re selling fake hair and gas and loosies and cigarettes to people all across Detroit just hoping to catch a breath of fresh air and making a fortune doing it." Regarding a movement to include transgender people in the state's civil rights law, Olumba commented, "To me seeing a guy dressed up like a girl is really funny or sad, but don't make the mistake of comparing his struggle to [Martin Luther King, Jr.] or my wife's father or grandfather being sprayed with a hose or bitten by dogs or millions of people losing their lives to forced bondage or servitude." Despite calls, Olumba did not immediately apologize for his remarks.