Are laws are the most important factor in overcoming discrimination

The correct answer to this open question is the following

Laws are important because they can be enforced. But the most important thing is the education and consciousness of the people. Laws states what needs to be done. But people make things happen. If people are not conscious of the benefits to tolerate other people despite their race, gender, color of skin, or culture, nothing will happen.

For instance, in the times of Reconstruction after the Civil War, there where laws and legislation that ended slavery in the United States, but the southern states decide otherwise. They depended so much on slavery, their economy needed slaves. So they enacted their own legislation such as the Jim Crow laws or the Black codes.

Yes, well one of the most important factors. There are laws preventing hate speech and hate crime. And there also amendments in our constitution which prevent discrimination.