About Our Founder – Isaias Gamboa
The We Shall Overcome Foundation (WSOF) was founded in 2012 by Isaias Gamboa, an award-winning author, music producer, documentary filmmaker, educator, and advocate for social and racial justice. Born in San José, Costa Rica, to parents of Spanish and African ancestry, Isaias was raised in both Catholic and Baptist traditions. His passion for uplifting marginalized communities is rooted in faith-based values and a lifelong commitment to service.
Faith and Mission Work
From a young age, Isaias witnessed his parents demonstrate love and compassion during missionary travels across Mexico and Central America. These early experiences inspired him to dedicate his life to serving the poor. As an adult, he extended his mission efforts across eight Latin American countries. In 2010, he established lasting partnerships with orphanages in Brazil, deepening his understanding of the systemic challenges facing Afro-descendant children globally. These experiences led to the creation of WSOF.
Music Career and Cultural Advocacy
Isaias’ love for music began in childhood and grew into a celebrated career. Signed as a teenager to Arista Records and later to Polydor, he spent two decades as a songwriter, producer, and recording artist. He has earned multiple RIAA Platinum and Gold certifications and contributed Grammy winning music to iconic artists such as 2Pac Shakur ("Pain" - Above The Rim Soundtrack) and The Temptations ("For Lovers Only", "Phoenix Rising", "Ear-Resistible"). In 2012, his 4-CD audiobook We Shall Overcome: Sacred Song on the Devil’s Tongue was accepted onto the Grammy Ballot for Best Spoken Word Album. His 2010 album Don’t Lie to Me—written, performed, and produced on his Plum Recordings label—appeared on the Grammy Ballot in the Best New Artist category.
Author, Historian, and Legal Advocate
Isaias is the author of three books: We Shall Overcome: Sacred Song on the Devil’s Tongue (2012), Enter the Promised Land – The US African American Restoration Act (2017), So Help Me God: Pete Seeger Stole We Shall Overcome (2023). Over more than a decade, Isaias led groundbreaking research uncovering African American composer Louise Shropshire as the true, uncredited author of We Shall Overcome. His investigation culminated in a historic federal lawsuit that invalidated the fraudulent copyright claim to the song and returned it to the public domain in 2018.
The case unearthed two key pieces of documentary evidence:
1. A 1960 copyright application filed by Ludlow Music for We Shall Overcome as a derivative arrangement—not a wholly original work—by Zilphia Horton, Guy Carawan, and Frank Hamilton, with Seeger later added. This application specifically acknowledged new verses and harmonization, implying the melody and core lyrics were already in existence.
2. A 1963 Songwriters Agreement, signed by Pete Seeger, Guy Carawan, Frank Hamilton, and Myles Horton (representing his late wife Zilphia), which became the basis for TRO-Ludlow's fraudulent registration of the work as a "wholly original" composition—omitting any reference to its previous 1960 derivative filing.
These revelations not only called into question Pete Seeger’s legacy but also forced a re-evaluation of cultural appropriation and erasure within the American folk revival. Isaias’s findings have been cited by The New York Times, USA Today, NPR, BBC, and in academic circles including Princeton, Duke Law, and Cambridge University Press.
Filmmaking and Historical Preservation
In 2024, Isaias wrote produced, and directed, Claim the Sky: We Shall Overcome, a four-part documentary series chronicling the untold story of the protest anthem and the legal battle that reclaimed it. The series features powerful interviews with Pete Seeger, Otis Williams (The Temptations), Pat Boone, Lee Daniels, and descendants of key civil rights leaders.His work prompted the U.S. Library of Congress to create two new subject categories: We Shall Overcome—History and Criticism, Louise Shropshire
Community Leadership and Workforce Development
In 2014, Isaias relocated to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he founded the Cincinnati Construction Academy (CCA)—a U.S. Department of Labor Apprenticeship Ambassador program providing paid carpentry pre-apprenticeship training to African American youth and second-chance citizens. Backed by the United Way and Greater Cincinnati Foundation, CCA ensures industry-aligned training and job placement in partnership with state and regional trade organizations.
He also launched Mr. G’s Home Care Bootcamps, weekend workshops that equip underserved residents with home repair and tool literacy.
For his service, Isaias was appointed to the Cincinnati Mayor’s Human Services Advisory Committee and the federally funded Brent Spence Bridge Workforce Advisory Board.
Professional Background
Isaias is a licensed and ordained Christian minister, certified carpenter, OSHA 500 trainer, certified craft instructor, and certificated career-tech educator. He also holds a California Real Estate Broker’s license and ran Beautiful Homes Real Estate in Los Angeles for 20 years.
He is a licensed FAA SUAS drone pilot, a certified soccer and goalkeeping coach, and an accomplished photographer.
He is also a 40-year member of ASCAP and has been featured in The Atlantic, Smithsonian Magazine, and NPR’s All Things Considered.
Isaias Gamboa's personal statement of faith:
"A disciple of Jesus of Nazareth is someone who believes in one God, follows Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God, and is guided by the Holy Spirit. It is not simply a label, but a way of life—marked by love for others, humility, obedience to God’s word, and a continual effort to reflect Christ’s character in both word and action. A true disciple seeks not only to believe, but to live in a way that demonstrates that belief through love, compassion, integrity, and service. I consider myself a disciple of Jesus Christ—someone who believes in Him as the Son of God and tries to follow His teachings by loving others, living with humility, and aligning my life with God’s will.” - Isaias Gamboa
