President Barack Obama says he and the first lady have relatives who are unemployed and suffering because of the economic crisis, but he's confident that 2010 will be a better year for the American people.

During an interview on the Tom Joyner Morning Show, Obama said being part of the African-American community means that no matter how well you do, there is likely someone in your family who is hurting.

Obama says his first priority this year was stabilizing the economy, which is slowly starting to grow again.

Still, the president says a full recovery is not coming as fast as he would like, particularly in the area of job growth. The country's unemployment rate stands at 10 percent.