Malcolm Little was a Baptist minister. Earl Little was a strong supporter of black nationalist leader Marcus Garvey, who promoted the return of blacks to their homeland in Africa. Their civil rights activism brought death threats from white supremacists, forcing them to move several times. In Michigan, unable to escape the racist actions of white supremacists, their home was bombed and destroyed. Two years later Earl was found dead on the streetcar tracks. The police ruled that his disappearance was an accident, although Piccolo thought otherwise. Louise later suffered a nervous breakdown and was admitted to a mental institution, with the children split between different foster families. In school, Malcolm was "an intelligent and focused student. He graduated from middle school at the top of his class. However, when a favorite teacher told Malcolm that his dream of becoming a lawyer was not "a realistic goal for a Negro" , Malcolm lost interest in school. ("About Malcolm") After his teacher successfully ended his dreams of a legitimate career, Malcolm went to Boston, Massachusetts, working odd jobs before ending up in Harlem, New York. This is where he began to participate in petty crimes. Moving from petty shenanigans to more serious crimes such as armed robbery and drug dealing, it was only a matter of time before Malcolm was caught 1946 for a burglary charge and sentenced to 10 years in prison. It was here that Malcolm recalled his school days and put his long time educating himself to good use that, as Kevin Brown explains, "his brother Reginald came to see him and told him about his involvement in the Muslim religion". (241) Intrigued, Malcolm began studying the teachings of NOI (Nation of Islam) leader Elijah Muhammad. What Muhammad taught was that white society was purposely created on this earth to “actively prevent African Americans from gaining power and achieving political, economic, and social success.” (“Embrace Yourself”) Among other goals, the NOI fought for a separate territory that would be reserved exclusively for blacks. When Malcolm was paroled in 1952, he left prison with the new name Malcolm.