Leon McCutchin participates in a candlelight vigil for Trayvon Martin, on Monday, July 15, 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. 
Activists in Chicago's South Side rallied for Trayvon Martin and called for an end to gun violence in their own city on July 15. 
A large group of demonstrators march through downtown Atlanta on July 15 during a protest of the acquittal of George Zimmerman. 
Residents of Sanford, Florida, attend a prayer vigil to promote peace and unity in their city in the wake of the George Zimmerman trial on July 15. 
Outside the Department of Justice in Washington on July 15, Rev. Anthony Evans, president of the National Black Church Initiative, leads a prayer during a demonstration asking for justice for Trayvon Martin. 
About 500 demonstrators gather during a rally and march in support of Trayvon Martin on July 15 in Birmingham, Alabama. 
A man argues with a police officer as supporters of Trayvon Martin march while blocking traffic in Union Square in New York on Sunday, July 14. 
Police hold positions on I-10 in Los Angeles as protesters retreat up an embankment, after demonstrators walked onto the freeway, stopping traffic, on July 14. 
People gather at a rally honoring Trayvon Martin at Union Square in New York on July 14. 
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 New York's Union Square on July 14. 
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 Trayvon Martin to civil rights icons Medgar Evans and Emmett 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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- Dean Obeidallah: Zimmerman trial shows that people see issues along racial lines
- Obeidallah: We need more racial empathy so that we can reduce tragedies and anger
- He says psychology studies show that more empathy can foster conflict resolution
- Obeidallah: We can start by trying to see what it would be like to belong to a different race
Editor's note: Dean Obeidallah, a former attorney, is a political comedian and frequent commentator on various TV networks including CNN. He is the editor of the politics blog The Dean's Report. Follow him on Twitter @deanofcomedy.
(CNN) -- The George Zimmerman trial has made one thing crystal clear. When racial issues arise, we tend to unquestionably cheer for our own race like it's a sporting match. There's little regard for the arguments or feelings of those from another race.
Is the racial empathy gap in America growing? It seems so. At least judging by the chatter of comments surrounding the trial.
I heard repeatedly the statement from some Zimmerman supporters -- including a radio show host on Monday morning who is far from being a racist -- that "94% of black murder victims were killed by other blacks."
So instead of being empathetic to the Martin family -- whose son Trayvon was killed by Zimmerman -- the words discounted the killing by essentially saying that black people kill each other so much so why should we care about this one black kid?
It doesn't end there. There were speculations that there will be riots by the black community should Zimmerman be found not guilty.
As CNN's Don Lemon rightly pointed out Friday, these warnings basically label blacks as "barbarians" who "can't contain themselves."
On the other side, some people of color despicably threatened to harm or even kill Zimmerman after he was acquitted.
Juror: George feared for his life 
Juror B37: 'It's very emotional' for me No matter what race you belong to, you have to admit this lack of concern for other races need to be addressed.
Sure, there were people protesting the Zimmerman verdict other than blacks, but overall they were few and in between. (Keep in mind that 75% of America's population is white.)
And when I say we lack racial empathy, I'm not talking about feeling sorry for a race because of their "plight." I mean true empathy -- "the ability to understand and share the feelings of another."
Racial empathy means being able to honestly contemplate what it would be like to be a member of a different race.
Psychologists have noted that this type of empathy fosters conflict resolution. Opening yourself to understanding why the other side believes what it does can help you find common ground.
Of course, this is not easy. It requires you to, at least temporarily, stop self-righteously dismissing competing arguments. You don't have to agree with the opposing views, but you should listen and try to understand them.
But when was the last time you heard leaders of community groups -- regardless of race -- say: "Let's look at from the other side?" I haven't.
A recent important study on racial empathy offers insights on the tangible consequences of our failure to identify with other races. Researchers found that participants believed that black people felt less physical pain when subjected to the same injury as white people because blacks "have faced more hardship."
In other words, the study shows that people are quicker to dismiss the suffering of blacks than of whites because black people have historically suffered more challenges like "higher rates of diseases, disability and premature death." The alarming conclusion is that this leads "to racial bias and potentially disastrous outcomes (e.g., condoning policy brutality against blacks, underestimating and undertreating black patients' pain)."
There's no simple fortune cookie piece of advice out there on how we can become more open and honest. But we can start simple.
How can we increase our racial sympathy? Let's look at issues from the vantage point of another race: Why are they angry? Why are they afraid? What would you feel like if you lived in a community where the crime you see is committed almost exclusively by one race? Conversely, how would you feel if you were repeatedly profiled by the police and society simply because of your skin color?
If we don't get past the knee jerking defensiveness when discussing race, we will likely be burying more Trayvon Martins. Let's try to stop the tragedies before they happen.
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The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Dean Obeidallah.
