The afternoon's most poignant moment came whenRobert M. "Rusty" North '02 thanked Goldberg forher autobiography, saying that an essay he wroteon the book won him a scholarship that allowed himto attend Harvard.

A teary-eyed Goldberg ushered North to thefront of the theater where, from the stage, shegot on her knees and hugged him twice to sustainedapplause. After the lecture North joined studentleaders, including Undergraduate Council PresidentBeth A. Stewart '00, in a private meeting with theentertainer.

Many of the questions offered Goldberg anopportunity to address her experiences with raceand ethnicity. The comic credited John F. Kennedy'40 for coming to her neighborhood in and makingher feel like "I had a place in this country."

Goldberg denounced the practice of cloudingAmerican identity with ethnic identity, saying shewas especially annoyed by the term"African-American."

"Rosa Parks didn't sit on that Goddamned bus soI could hyphenate who I am," she said.

Goldberg also addressed the heated criticismthat she has received for her unconventionalbehavior and appearance.

"Black folks were pissed because I didn't lookblack enough," Goldberg said. "I don't know howthat could be, it's pretty much a constant" in mylife.

Throughout her talk, Goldberg addressed a hostof topics, twice extending the number ofadditional questions she would address. Sherecounted a trip to Germany during which shevisited Anne Frank's home and was influenced byFrank's words: "In spite of everything, I stillbelieve there is good in people."

Goldberg was the first lecturer in the AmySmith Berylson '75 series, part of the HarvardCollege's women's initiative, in a programsponsored through Learning from Performers programat the Harvard and Radcliffe Office for the Arts