Pettitt is best known for her role as Billie Jean in the 1972 family–drama film Black Girl, starring alongside Brock Peters and Claudia McNeil.

These examine issues of domestic violence, sexual abuse, cross-generational differences, voting registration, the Civil Rights Movement, identity and the world HIV/Aids crisis.

Titles include Women Preachers, Caught Between the Devil and The Deep Blue Sea, Tricksters: All Over You Like White On Rice, Wrapped Up, Tied Up and Tangled, Mollie Oil BETWIXT, Wild Steps and In The Spirit For Real.

Pettitt has presented her work at the Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni Les Rencontres du Bout des Mondes International Festival in 2011 (French Guiana).

Another of her noteworthy roles was at Lincoln Center as Miss Lindsey in Mule Bone, Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes’ historical comedy.

Partnering with a wide array of organizations, she has helped scores of diverse groups present their own original stories as both theater and storytelling performances.