Douglas County’s lack of diversity poses challenges for Black students Share this story Jessica Gibbs/Colorado Community Media This story originally appeared in . It is republished here with permission. Max Malone and his family moved from Denver to Castle Rock after his family weathered financial struggles, hoping the town could provide a less stressful environment for his younger siblings. Instead Malone — whose father is Black and mother white — said he encountered significantly more racism than he did when living in other Denver metro area communities. During his sophomore and junior years at Castle View High School, Malone — a student of color in a school that was nearly 80% white — grew increasingly demoralized as he said he repeatedly found bathroom stalls vandalized with racist slurs. One of the messages, he said, read: “Kill (N-word)!”