FOOD FOR CAUSE: The annual Momo Crawl event in Jackson Heights helps bring attention to the Tibetan independence movement. (PHOTO: Sajina Shrestha)
Momo Crawl is a yearly food festival in Jackson Heights, Queens where hungry visitors can sample savory dumplings found in Nepali and Tibetan cuisine from dozens of food trucks and local restaurants.
But the event — now in its 11th year — is also much more than that.
The festival is organized by Students for a Free Tibet, which began in NYC nearly three decades ago to support the Tibetan Independence Movement — and has since grown to become a worldwide organization. Tibet has been under Chinese rule since the 1950s.
“We are not doing this as a food company that’s celebrating just food,” said Students for a Free Tibet organizer Chemi Lhamo, “We are a human rights organization driven by young people who are working towards the freedom of Tibet.”
Reporter Sajina Shrestha visited the festival to find out more.
