Jordan’s mom yells from across the street for him to put on some shoes. A recent cut on his foot required stitches, but he says that he loves the feeling of the soft alkali soil between his toes. "The Alkali Kids" is an endearing term for a generation of poor African-American children who grew up in Teviston before Jordan was born. Despite coming to school with powdery white feet, most went achieved great successes and an unprecedented number went on to study in universities around the country.