Answer:
D. acknowledge the potentially embarrassing circumstances under which she is delivering her speech
Step-by-step explanation:
Most of the students at Wellesley College did not want Barbara Bush to speak because they believed that she was only famous because of her husband (president at the time). A majority of the students wanted Alice Walker to give a speech instead, however this did not occur. Bush is trying to use comedic relief in this line to lighten the mood surrounding her speech.