In the opening sentences of the passage ("Now I know... color of my hair!"), the author refers to Alice Walker primarily to A
impress her audience with the breadth of her literary knowledge
B
flaunt her access to privileged information about the planning of the commencement ceremony
С
congratulate her audience for inviting her instead of a lesser-known speaker
D
acknowledge the potentially embarrassing circumstances under which she is delivering her speech
E
suggest that she pays more attention to her personal appearance than do other celebrities