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

c 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