TEXAS — An interracial family has asked Texas-based ice cream manufacturer Blue Bell to rename its classic flavor, "The Great Divide."

Traci Schmidley, a foster mother, parent and teacher, surprised her six children with tubs of Blue Bell’s classic The Great Divide after a long day of hard work.

Schimdley’s 10-year-old son joked that The Great Divide reminded him of the Mason Dixon line and should be called "The Civil War" flavor instead.

The family wrote about their concerns in a letter to Blue Bell on Facebook.

“We think some people might misunderstand the name and think the name the Great Divide is about people and the division that exists in our world because of different skin colors,” the post reads.

After discussing the Deep South’s history and in effort to encourage Blue Bell to be more diverse and inclusive, the Schmidley family asked the company to change the name of the flavor. They suggested “Better Together” to reflect how far our nation has come since the Civil War.

The Schimdleys believe the name also represents their family’s values as a mixed-race foster family.

“Isak and Kaleb have lighter skin and Jayden has darker skin. But Isak and Kaleb also have a brother and sister adopted from foster care who have dark skin as well. We are all our own color and own flavor and there is no divide between us. We think we are all delicious in our own ways. So, we have a suggestion for a new name for your chocolate and vanilla ice cream flavor,” the family wrote.  

Traci, Isak, Kaleb, and Jayden and their friends said they love Blue Bell. They hope a name change will strengthen families and communities through "Better Together" buckets of chocolate and vanilla.

Blue Bell issued the following statement to Spectrum News on Tuesday concerning the story: 

"We love hearing from our customers, especially kids. We were amazed when we read the letter, by their thoughtfulness and their compassion for all people, and we are humbled by their love of our ice cream. We are so impressed by them and commend Traci for providing the environment where an important conversation like this can take place.

"We created Great Divide so that families didn’t have to choose between two favorites but could enjoy both Homemade Vanilla and Dutch Chocolate in one container!  We love the idea of “better together” and especially the thoughtful sentiment behind it."