Providencia Paredes, the first Latina in the White House, dead at 90

Providencia Paredes, the Dominican immigrant who become Jackie Kennedy’s special assistant, has died at the age of 90. Paredes, the first Latino person to work in the White House, passed away in Washington D.C. on 18 March (15), according to her son.
She was the former First Lady’s aide from 1959 to 1965, managing Kennedy’s appointments, postal correspondence and even helping to style the fashion icon.
Paredes famously picked out the Chanel suit Jackie was wearing when her husband, President John F. Kennedy was shot and killed during a trip to Dallas, Texas in 1963. The First Lady’s aide missed the trip due to a family obligation. But she spent most of the days following the assassination alone with Mrs. Kennedy.
She later worked for Senator Robert Kennedy until his assassination in 1968 and Senator Ted Kennedy.
Her son Gustavo tells The Washington Post, “She broke the barrier of what an American was. She was making trips with the president, representing the aspiration of the American dream.
“From her humble beginnings in the Dominican Republic, she ended up flying around the world, representing the country of her birth as well as her new-found country.”