People gather at a rally honoring Trayvon Martin at Union Square in Manhattan on Sunday, July 14, in New York City. A jury acquitted George Zimmerman of all charges related to the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. View photos of key moments from the trial. 
Demonstrators march following a peaceful rally at the Torch of Freedom in downtown Miami on July 14. 
People hold hands in a circle at a rally honoring Trayvon Martin at Union Square in Manhattan on July 14, in New York City. 
Parishioners arrive for Sunday service at Allen Chapel AME church in the historic black neighborhood of Goldsboro on Sunday, July 14, in Sanford, Florida. During the service Pastor Valarie Houston compared 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, who was shot and killed in February 2012 by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, to civil rights icons Medgar Evans and Emmitt Till. 
People wear hoodies during services remembering Trayvon Martin at Middle Collegiate Church in New York on Sunday, July 14. 
People in New York react to the news that George Zimmerman was found not guilty on Saturday, July 13. 
"Justice for Trayvon" is written on the ground as people gather at Union Square in New York on July 13. 
People attend a rally in Los Angeles following the Zimmerman verdict on July 13. 
A protester shouts in the streets of New York on July 13. 
People gather for a demonstration in Los Angeles on July 13. 
A man in Los Angeles wears a shirt in support of Trayvon Martin on July 13. 
Protesters chant outside the Seminole County courthouse in Sanford, Florida, after Zimmerman was found not guilty on July 13. 
Tanetta Foster cries in front of the courthouse on July 13 after hearing the verdict. 
A Trayvon Martin supporter rallies outside the courthouse on July 13. After Martin's death, protesters started wearing hoodies in solidarity against racial profiling. 
Darrsie Jackson cries and comforts her children Linzey Stafford, left, 10, and Shauntina Stafford, 11, outside the courthouse on July 13. 
A woman addresses the media after the verdict on July 13. 
Protesters react to the not guilty verdict on July 13. 
Melinda O'Neal, left, breaks into tears and hugs Shedrick Burfect outside the courthouse on July 13. 
A man outside the courthouse gets emotional after the verdict was announced on July 13. 
A woman outside the courthouse reacts to the verdict on July 13. 
Demonstrators and members of the media gather outside of the courthouse on July 13. The jurors deliberated for more than 16 hours before delivering their verdict. 
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- Donna Brazile: There is no winner here
- We are not in a post-racial society, Brazile says
- If you don't know about "black male code," you should, she says
- Now is a time to focus on improving the system, she says
Editor's note: Donna Brazile, a CNN contributor and a Democratic strategist, is vice chairwoman for voter registration and participation at the Democratic National Committee. She is a nationally syndicated columnist, an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and author of "Cooking With Grease: Stirring the Pot in America." She was manager for the Gore-Lieberman presidential campaign in 2000.
(CNN) -- Like so many others, I am distraught. It will take many days to sort through my feelings and reactions to the verdict of not guilty in the Trayvon Martin case. Still, some thoughts and lessons are obvious, immediate and, in a sense, imperative.
First, those who delight in the verdict are wrong. There is no winner here. Trayvon Martin is still dead and George Zimmerman still must live with the fact that he killed without reason or cause. Here, the "should have" rules: He should have stayed in the truck.
Those who react to the verdict with despair are wrong. We work hard for justice in this world, but we, being human, are flawed. We will make mistakes. The law is only our best approximation of justice, and the law needs constant revision. But doing what's right is not limited to the law. Sometimes, we must go beyond it.
Those who expect -- perhaps desire -- a riot are wrong. We are better than that. We respect the law. While the law cannot force a person to be moral or tolerant, through the law we can demand respect and expect equality.
If we are to move forward as a country we must recognize that this case highlights three issues. We must confront these without excuse or rancor. We must be honest about our weaknesses.
LZ: Trayvon could have been my son
Father and son react to verdict 
Martin lawyer: 'We must all be peaceful' 
Defense: Zimmerman did nothing wrong First, we are not in a post-racial society. Racial profiling still exists and it is a cancer. Assumptions and fallacies and prejudice feed it. We are suspicious of those who look different; we are uncomfortable with cultural differences. We distrust what we don't understand, but surely we should not act with violence or bigotry.
If you don't know about the "black male code," you should. It's something black boys learn early, even before adolescence. It goes, in part, like this: Even though you're not a criminal, some people assume you are, especially if you're wearing certain clothes. Never argue with the police, but protect your dignity and take pride in humility. As a black male, you must go above and beyond to show strangers what type of person you really are.
There's more, but you get the point: If you're black and male, know that many Americans -- not all, not even most, but many -- assume you are guilty of something, just because you're you.
Now try to live with that every day. We need to see ourselves through the eyes of others.
Finally, there's the cliché -- think before you act. Thou shalt not murder is a universal commandment, one necessary for a civilized nation, a civilized world.
Let us focus on ways to improve the system -- the criminal system, the justice system, the moral system, the general welfare system. Let us focus on acts of goodness and kindness that bring us together, as a people and as creations of God.
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The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Donna Brazile.
